Princess of Rogues
by Wamakai
Summary: KHR AU. Haru Miura is a very skilled pickpocket who has never once gone wrong... until the day she gets caught. According to the law, to receive her judgement and punishment, she has to appear before the very formidable town council leader, Hibari Kyoya.. (Updated: Chapter 36/37)
1. Chapter 1

**I thought up this idea last year but I wanted to finish at least one of my series fan fics before putting up another one. This is AU so if any of the characters is OOC, please forgive me? *kira kira* Anyway, I hope you guys like what I came up with. Bedmates is well on it's way to being updated so keep an eye out for updates. So, let me know what you think? Many, many thanks.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters in this fan fiction story with the exception of some OC's. Otherwise, I own the plot and nothing else.**

If only she hadn't woken up late that day.

If only she hadn't let her guard down in the market.

If only she had been content with the pilfered food Basco nii-chan had brought home.

If only she had been looking the right way.

Either way you looked at it, there were a lot of things she had done wrong. Ultimately, the biggest worst thing she could have done was to get caught.

As a personal rule, Haru never got caught. What had happened this time? She could say she had been too tired. She looked up at the guards at her sides and thought that maybe they were a little more skilled than she. Perhaps it was because her stomach growled as it did again right then reminding her for the umpteenth time that she needed sustenance.

She didn't have to be told twice. She was ravenous.

Pride was what had kept her from enjoying the "spoils of war" that Basco-nii-san had brought from the market. That and her sudden show of courage. He and some of the others sometimes went on a raid and came back to dump it all in a secret hideaway while they collected more. At the end of the day, they would carry it back to their den and have a feast. This was the way it worked.

But Haru had chosen that as the day she crossed his path. Basco was in charge and nobody questioned him. What had bothered her was the fact that little Fuuta who didn't have anyone to defend him was being picked on. She didn't take kindly to bullies and Basco had gone far enough. She had stood up to him and nobody _**ever**_ did that.

That night, he had declared that she was not to be fed and anyone caught giving her any of the spoils would be exiled from the pack, the worst punishment possible. She would be gone already if she wasn't such a good pick-pocket. She never took too much so people hardly thought anything was missing. More often than not, if she got caught, she could hand back the "coin that had dropped" and be out of trouble, probably with a reward in her hands. It was the perfect scam and one only she could pull off.

In a huff, Haru had climbed her favourite tree and plotted how she would take care of herself when, not if, she left the pack. She didn't need Basco. He could rot for all she cared. At least he had stopped bullying Fuuta.

"Haru-nii?" she heard from the darkness below her.

"What is it Fuuta?" she asked, her voice immediately becoming softer and a smile forming on her lips. She was rather fond of the little guy.

"Will Basco make you leave?" he asked. She helped him up onto her branch and lit the lantern she kept hanging there. She smiled when she finally met his gaze and ruffled his tousled brown hair.

"No, he wouldn't dare, the big bully. Did he disturb you again? I'll make him pay if he's done anything to you..."

"No, he hasn't done anything. He gave me a warning, but that was it. I... I stole this from the table. I don't think anyone saw me." He produced a shiny apple from somewhere under his sweater and held it up to her. She couldn't hide her surprise. Fuuta was hardly the thieving type but that was the way of life on the streets. It was either survive or die so he had been under Haru's tutelage. Apparently he had learned one or two things.

She wasn't going to eat anything of Basco's initially, but Fuuta had gone through the trouble of getting it for her so she had accepted it and that had been her last meal.

"You'll see Fuuta," she said pulling him into a hug and kissing the boy's forehead then wiping it off as was custom, "I'll make it so we can survive without Basco and he won't have to bother you ever again." The child had cuddled up to her and fallen asleep.

As she had done so many times before, she carried the sleeping child down to the others and lay him on his sleeping spot. She gave herself a moment and no more to watch him as he slept. Her spot was right next to his and she would naturally have gone right to sleep, but she had had enough of having to run under Basco's rule. She was going to make it.

She was going to come back for Fuuta and she would make sure that he never had to be bullied again. She would take care of him like she had since he had come at the tender age of five to their gang.

"I swear to you, Fuuta, I''ll make it. Do you hear me God? I'm going to make it this time," she said. She herself had been raised in a church parish part way but when the sisters had begun turning nasty and beating her every which way, she had had enough. She ran away and met Basco as she tried to rob a man. She had succeeded, but he had seen and then had blackmailed her and thus had she become one of them.

Now she was going to need all her strength for the task ahead.

The first thing she would do was amass a wealth in coins and save up for as long as she could. She would still steal for the gang, but she would keep some for herself. Her scam would have to change so she could take more without being branded a thief in the gang. That was the highest form of betrayal after all. Nobody was to steal from the pack either. Failure to do this would bring down the 'great shame' on one's head. Nobody fully understood what that meant, but it kept everyone in line and maintained happiness so it was accepted as punishment.

She would do her duty and still manage to save up to get her and Fuuta out of there. Now it was just a matter of putting her plan into action.

She sighed and looked up at the glaring sun. It was barely noon and already she had gotten into more trouble than she ever had in all her six years of picking pockets. She had lost her breakfast, had to run herself breathless and lost two targets. The third had eventually caught her, but someone had seen her and alerted him. She must be getting sloppy, and no wonder with her stomach growling like that.

She was hungry and these maze-like hallways didn't seem to be coming to a head any time soon.

"Can I at least get something to eat? I'm no good if I starve for picking pockets..." she said striking up a conversation with the guards. Of course they said nothing.

"I suppose not," she decided and kept quiet though her stomach didn't. Well, prison couldn't be so bad, could it? One of her friends had slept in a cell and he was fine if only a little bruised. She fought as well as any boy so she was sure she could give as much as she got. No, prison wouldn't be such a bad place and when she got out, she could be a step closer to Basco in rank. Only dangerous people went to prison. She would be a gang leader overnight!

Well, she didn't want to take that away from him, though he probably deserved to be put in his place. All she wanted was for Fuuta to be able to live happily unlike she had. She smirked and followed the guards' steady footsteps as she daydreamed for a moment about all the fun they would have when her plans succeeded.

She looked outside one of the numerous windows they passed and saw a beautiful garden with some tittering maids. They giggled and pointed to a man with dark hair somewhere on the other side of the garden. He was too far away for her to see him properly. He wasn't so important anyway, she was sure.

Now, the question was where she was headed. She didn't particularly think that this great big place with all its grandeur and high class architecture would count as a prison. She reasoned that maybe petty thieving was not regarded so important after all. Still, where were these guys taking her? She heard no instructions from the other side of the door of the little room where she had been kept.

Hime-chan would have found her way out. The little seven year old was a master at getting away. She had gotten the whole gang out of scrapes before and she was almost as valuable as Haru if not more. Still, that was besides the point. Where in the blazes was she headed?

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

It had been another listless morning. Hibari stared at the papers on his desk and leaned back rubbing his neck. He would have to get a massage one of these days. It had been a while since he had let himself really relax. What with crime being on the rise and his stepfather having so much to take care of and with his younger and more carefree step-brother, well...

Yamamoto Takeshi was not the brightest bulb for sure, but he did have a lot to offer in the way of a fight should Hibari be craving one. It was good exercise and on these terms, they had created a sort of bond with each other. It was hard to separate them now. Still, he did have his annoying points.

Being step-brothers was an interesting experience, the details of which few people really knew. The rumours that flew around were that Hibari was a love child of the former mistress and the current master, Takeshi's father. Another was that his father had died while his mother was pregnant with him and she had married another man to curb the loneliness. A third claimed that he had been adopted. Some were half truths, others whole lies, but there was really no difference so he didn't bother himself with it so much.

What interested him now was the girl who had been caught stealing in the marketplace from one of his maids. The girl was to be brought to him since he disapproved of the current authorities and their twisted version of justice. If it weren't for his late father installing that rule when he had been alive, that all cases were to be brought to him, then the girl would probably have lost her life or worse. He rose from his seat and went to the window.

A maid brought him some tea, curtsied and left. They knew better than to stick around. They would be flayed by his attitude or his words. Somehow, they would suffer so they stayed carefully out of his way, though some couldn't really help liking the dark brooding master. He was handsome and very kind to animals, as they had heard tell.

Hibari went to the table and picked up the cup that the maid had poured then returned to his seat. Before he could sit, however, the guards came in with the girl behind them. He paused to regard her for a moment. Her big brown eyes met his and her whole face changed from quiet, fascinated curiosity to instant animosity and outright defiance. She would be a hard one to deal with.

Waving the guards away, he leaned back in his chair and looked her over once more. This was going to be more fun than he had intended!


	2. Chapter 2

**I had no idea where I wanted to take this story and it's mainly for my entertainment, but if I can get one or two people on board with the idea, so be it! Here's chapter 2 (I can hear those "finally!" comments and I do apologise for taking so long to update. I have a fixed storyline now so prepare for awesomeness (or not, it's really up to you!) Don't forget to R&R. Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR or any of the characters involved in this fan fiction story. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

The Guards beside Haru saluted and left the office shutting the door behind them. She turned her face to the side watching them leave then turned to face the man before her – the one meant to decide her fate. He had dark hair and pale skin, as would be expected of pampered nobles.

He wasn't ugly as she had thought he would be or even old for that matter. He was maybe two or three years older than her at most. What he did have were very noble features from his nose to his lips, from his hair to his shoes. He just looked like he belonged in this world of the privileged.

What caught her attention the most were his eyes. They had a certain glint to them that she didn't quite like. She could already see from his smirk that he was up to something. Probably thinking some of those evil thoughts he'd heard the sisters at the parish tell her about. She gritted her teeth and held her tongue. If she wasn't very careful now, she probably wouldn't make it out of there in one piece.

"What is your name?" he asked. His voice was just dripping with deception. Did he expect her to calm down in a situation like this? She would say nothing and keep it that way. She stood up a little straighter and raised her chin. She wouldn't look up to him. He would be arrogant and spiteful no doubt and he enjoyed watching his servants cower before him. She would not be a part of that statistic. She bowed before no man!

Hibari smiled and rested his cheek on his fist. She was proving difficult already and she was clearly not very remorseful for her crime. He could already tell that she was very proud. It would be in his best interests to have his guards break her spirit. He could do it himself if he was so inclined, but he found he rather liked her as a challenge.

"Can you speak or are you deaf?" he asked trying to goad her into talking. For one of her temperament, it shouldn't take a lot to get her angry. He smirked and rose from his seat when her lips twitched in restrained anger.

Her shirt was three sizes too big and fell off one shoulder. Beneath that was a better fitting shirt that looked to be in better condition. Her hair was held back loosely and a few curls escaped their bondage, but was still rather clean. A female was a female no matter where they were from, he mused silently. He was still to talk to her and determine her reason for being brought to him. Clearly she wouldn't volunteer the information though.

He had to wonder, though, if people really survived like this. He saw them in the streets whenever he was passing through. He read about it in the papers and saw it everywhere he went. He went up to her and circled her once or twice making sure she wasn't cut or bruised anywhere. He had to do that to make sure the guards followed all his orders. Otherwise, there would be hell to pay. So knew everyone who had tried to cross him before.

He could practically feel the hate emanating from her, however and raised an amused brow meeting her scowl. It really did suit her, that fire in her eyes. He went back to his desk and sat down again. She seemed alright, if not a little upset.

That was a relief. She was one of the lucky ones. It would have been such a shame. She was rather pretty too. He had no patience for breaking the law however so he would have to punish her some way that fit the crime – one that would keep her busy and make sure she learned her lesson...

"Well, do you have a name or would you like me to give you one?" he asked, picking up his pen to sign the document. He put it aside and looked at her again. She was just barely restraining herself. One more push and she would go over the edge completely. He sat back and regarded her. Maybe he should make her one of the maids that served him. That would teach her a lesson or two in valuing things.

He admired her bravery, but she could turn into a problem very easily. He couldn't put her in the kitchen since she probably would spit in his food or add some other nasty unwanted ingredients. The alternative was to make her his personal maid. That way he could see that she didn't get up to any mischief. Helping her learn to make a decent and honest wage would go far in rehabilitating her too. He would have to take care of her rebelliousness if she was going to be of any use to him however.

"Very well," he said finally, "I shall name you..."

Before he could finish his statement, he was interrupted by his very loud step-brother. Yamamoto was always like that. He walked into the office whenever he pleased and without any warning. He had interrupted many of Hibari's meetings, but it wasn't about to change. Only when the door was locked did he know not to interrupt. It had become an unwritten rule between them.

"Kyoya-nii, I found you!" he said with an easy laugh and headed for one of the armchairs. He only barely noticed Haru before he bumped into her.

"Oh, my apologies, you have a visitor." Haru glared at him and his eyebrows rose mostly in amusement. He took a step back and gave her a bow.

"Pardon me," he said gently and went around her to Hibari's desk, having changed his mind about sitting down. He patted Hibari's shoulder.

"You really should stop trying to bully her. She looks like she can rip you apart with that look alone," he said with a chuckle.

"You have been here long enough so you should understand that I would appreciate you knocking before you barge in here."

Haru couldn't miss the undertones of anger in that voice. It sent shivers down her spine and not in a thrilling way. She wondered how the younger man could be so comfortable in such a formidable presence. She didn't let up though. She wanted to know what he was plotting so she could decide whether to smother him or just rough him up a little. He was a noble and they were all the same – prim and proper wimps.

Mr. High and Mighty himself rose again and, leaving the stranger looking her over, went to the door and summoned a maid and a guard.

"You called, my lord?" she said.

"It has been decided, Akira, that Mari-san* here will be my personal maid," he said. Haru whipped around and sent a scathing glare his way. He would make her his what? And what had he called her? The dark scowl earned her a chuckle from the other man in the room. She shut her eyes feeling very irritated with the both of them. She hadn't given her name, but what right had he to give her grief over it? She didn't want him to call her by name. He was a pompous rich boy who knew nothing about her world and how she lived.

From all the stories she'd heard, she would much rather go to jail and become a hardened criminal. That way Basco and the more ardent of his followers would know not to mess with her. How would she become stronger and earn a reputation as a... as a... a maid! A _**personal**_ maid!

The maid curtsied and the guard went to take Haru's arm. He had a vice-like grip so it was impossible to get loose. She would find a way to get out of here. She just had to!

Basco would think she had abandoned the pack. It was so like him to imagine the very worst of her. Ever since that ridiculous request he'd made when she was just starting out. She had refused and had beaten him in that battle and it had annoyed him. He had been looking for a way to get rid of her and now he would have a way.

And what would happen to Fuuta then? She couldn't bear to think about it. She would just have to escape somehow. She hadn't been resting on her laurels this whole time she was in the pack. She had learned a few things from Hime-san and would have the perfect chance to apply them soon. She sent another defiant glare the master's way before she was taken out of the room and led down another hallway, presumably to the servant's quarters.

It was useless to fight. She knew that. Hime-san had also told her to wait for the right opportunity. It always presented itself when one was ready. She would bide her time little by little until she could get out of there!

Hibari shut the door and turned to his very amused stepbrother who was currently making himself very comfortable in his chair.

"Mari-san?" he asked raising an amused brow.

"It suits her, don't you think?" replied Hibari with a smirk.

"I rather do, but she would kill you if she got the chance. Somehow I get the feeling that that is exactly what you wanted..."

In reply, Hibari poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip then smirked.

"Well, you did say that you were bored and I suppose you needed to replace your former maid. I do wonder how long you'll survive being under her care though."

Hibari put down his cup. He wondered too, but he wasn't just another spoilt rich brat. He had exceptional battle skills and knew how to protect himself. His little spitfire would be in for quite the surprise if she thought to "take revenge" on him for making her a maid.

He praised his genius. That was just the ticket. He could see that she was so close to talking. He wanted to hear her voice even once. If he managed that, he would have accomplished much. Oh well, things would turn out alright eventually. She had looked rather calm while being taken away though so he might have to warn the guards about her trying to escape. That was no doubt what she would try to do.

"Your move, Mari-san," he thought to himself.

***Mari is a Japanese name that means "obstinacy" or "rebellion" (from ). I would have picked Jun instead which means "obedient" just to point out the sarcasm, but I don't know how that would have worked out, so I'll just stick with Mari :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I've been having a terrible case of writer's block. I think I'm doing a little too much writing, but it's just because I love you guys so much and I feed off of your amazing reviews. Thank you for waiting and I hope the next chappie comes out soon though.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR or any of the characters you recognise from the manga. I am responsible for the plot, the current character location and a few Ocs but nothing else.**

Haru stared distastefully at the clothes that had been laid out for her. She had been given a small room right next door to the master of the house and a clean set of clothes was laid out for her. The head maid had explained her duties to Haru and left her. Haru looked around the small room.

The small bed was more of a bed than she could remember ever having before. The clothes that were laid out, although hateful, were at least clean. For once in a very long time, she could bathe and feel clean again. She had hated that about staying with Basco and his group but she managed to sneak in at least four baths a week. Fuuta would sometimes go with her as well, but usually, he was off with the rest of his group doing his part to stay in the pack.

She sighed and looked at the one window she was afforded. Where was Fuuta now? Was Basco bullying him? Was he worrying about Haru?

At least Fuuta would worry. Basco on the other hand was probably looking for a way to get rid of her so it would stand to reason that he wouldn't care either way. He would probably be glad that she was gone. Well, for now, Haru would have to play maid and take care of the master.

The thought was distasteful. She hated having to bow to anyone. She loathed the fact that the light skinned brooding master would be gloating while she served him. Her pride could only take so much battering and being caught had served to significantly crush it.

Damn that bloody aristocrat to the depths of hell! How dare he put her in this situation?

Well, she would just have to get herself out of it before he could properly celebrate his victory over her. Besides, she was never a good loser and she didn't care if that proud goat was the king of the land. She would have her way if she could help it.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Fuuta went up Haru's tree and sat quietly. Haru was gone and Basco had said that she was never coming back. That was a lie. He knew it was because Haru-nee-chan was always so nice to him. She took care of him and let him cry when Basco was mean. She wouldn't leave him behind would she?

Basco had even rubbed it in his face that she had been caught. Maybe he could plan a rescue and show her just how good he had gotten. He missed Haru and he didn't like Basco very much. But Haru had told him time and time again that they would have to stay there together if they didn't want to starve.

Maybe he could talk to Hime-chan and find out a few things. If he could learn properly, he would be able to help Haru-nee escape. She would be so happy with him! Then they could go away together like she had promised the night before. She had made a promise to God that she would run away with him and make it. She had heard him and been so happy.

"I'll come and get you Haru-nee-chan," he whispered, "just you wait and see."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru squinted at the light in her doorway. What on earth was going on? She had taken a bath and gone straight to sleep. She hadn't realised just how tired she would be after getting so riled up. The bed was actually rather comfortable, but considering where she slept, it was a vast improvement. Still, who was this intruder in her room at the crack of dawn?

"Get up, it's time to get ready. The master will be up in two hours and we must prepare everything before then!"

Haru just barely registered that sharp voice before a pair of hands yanked her out of bed and doused her with cold water. Well, she was fully awake now – and sopping wet. She glared at the woman in the neat maid's outfit with her hair pulled back and an expression that could turn stone into ash... It was the head maid.

"Get dry, get dressed and get down to the kitchens in ten minutes. I will not accept laziness from anyone, least of all a street urchin like you," she said and turned. She was gone before Haru could make her aware of two facts. One, that she was neither inebriated nor stupid so she would not accept this treatment, and second that she had no idea where the kitchen might be.

People really shouldn't be up this early in the morning. Even the sun was not up yet! She could bet it was about four in the morning then. Haru sighed and got ready anyway.

She was nothing if not resourceful. She would manage somehow. In the meantime, she would have to put up with the likes of Akira-san. Well, it was no different from some of the sisters at the parish. She had been taught to clean and scrub and wash and polish. She wasn't totally useless in these chores and she could bet she knew how to do them much better than some of the maids there. Akira would not know what hit her!

Haru smirked as she grabbed her towel and began patting herself dry. She was clean at least so she could do more without being so self-conscious. She even smiled as she walked to the closet with her one outfit. He former clothes were gone when she woke up. No doubt they had been burned as per the master's orders. Speaking of whom, she had to serve him this morning, didn't she?

That brought a frown to her face.

A dousing and a pride-crushing all in one morning? There was only so much a girl could take! Well, she could at least act the part. All she really needed was for them all to relax their guard. For that she would have to follow their rules. It was only for the moment. After that, she would make it her life's goal to never get caught again.

Smiling at the maid's outfit, she put it on and walked out of the room to find the kitchen, a task which was easier said than done. She had been given a quick tour of the place on her way to her room, but that was all. She couldn't quite remember if she was to make a right at the gardens or a left. She stood there mulling it over when she heard someone at one end of the garden.

She stood still listening to the sound of a man probably practising like she had heard in the dojos around town. She peered around one of the bushes and caught sight of the younger master practising with his sword. He waved it expertly and slashed at invisible enemies in what seemed to Haru to be some sort of dance. He was really good. She saw the way his muscles rippled in the dim lamplight and was mesmerised for a moment. Every lithe movement seemed enough to mortally wound his imaginary foes. Each swipe showed his love for his weapon and the special bond that man and blade shared...

He turned abruptly in his movements and saw her then smiled and raised his hand to wave at her.

Haru blushed and ducked behind the bush. Wait, what was she doing? First of all, she had been completely distracted from her main aim of getting to the kitchen although she was clearly over half an hour late in getting there. Second, she had actually been staring at a man! She never did that! Not even once! And to top it all off, she was blushing! She was actually turning red! She could feel her cheeks heat up too!

She turned her back to him and walked purposefully down the left hallway. She would probably get lost again, but she would prefer that to the horror of being found blushing after staring so much. She really should mind her own business a little more. She looked up right before she bumped right into... Akira-san.

"There you are! Where have you been? The master will be awake any minute now and you are still out here? Don't you know anything?" Haru bit back a sharp retort and forced herself to calm down under Akira's glare.

"I beg your pardon, madam, but I forgot the way to the kitchen. I am really sorry," she said with a slight bow. Akira looked down at the girl, her anger fading fast. What was wrong with this urchin? Well, as long as she knew her place, it didn't quite matter.

"Follow me. You have to learn how to make his breakfast and how to present it. You will have a guard with you at all times and you must never bother the masters at any time. If I hear about it, I will come after you myself."

Haru didn't doubt she would either. Well, she didn't exactly plan on poisoning the master, although that would serve him right. Who was he to dictate her life this way? She would honestly much rather go to prison and earn a reputation. Well, she would put up with this for now. At least if she said she was kept against her own will, she wouldn't be lying.

And she wouldn't have to suffer either. She could just copy Akira-san's attitude and that would be enough. People would believe she had been in prison and suffered. Well, she didn't really like that idea, but she would have plenty of time to think about the story she would make up while she was here.


	4. Chapter 4

**I have worked on this chapter based on my inspiration for the day. I hope you guys like it but in any case, please let me know what you think? Many thanks to all my readers and fans. This chapter is specially dedicated to syNemYoA. I hope you like it too ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR or any of the characters you may recognise from the series. I am only responsible for the plot and the OCs and nothing else.**

Haru stood outside the master's room with his breakfast tray in hand. She stood glaring at the door for a full five minutes before deciding to knock.

"Come in," came the voice from inside.

She took a deep breath and steeled herself as she turned the knob and went inside. The curtains of all windows saving one were drawn. At the one open curtain stood the master in his robe looking out presumably at the gardens. He barely acknowledged her presence which to her seemed to be a good thing. The sooner she could get rid of her tray, the sooner she could leave before he got it into his head to ask her for something else.

She placed the tray on the table, curtsied to his turned back and beat a hasty retreat towards the door. She had put her hand on the knob ready to turn it and bolt when he spoke again. In her hurry, she hadn't noticed that he turned and seen her hurry.

"You haven't poured my tea," he said. She could only imagine the smirk on his face. Deciding it wise that she didn't face him lest she put into action her thought of punching his precious face in. She walked slowly to the table and picked up the kettle. She poured the tea into a cup and then turned to leave again.

"And the honey too," he said again in a very matter of fact voice. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to pour his own damned honey, but she held her own and did as she was bidden. It would not do at all to incur the wrath of one very stern head maid.

"Will that be all?" she asked.

Hibari watched her curiously. She seemed so much less of the hellion he had imagined her to be when she had first stood before him. Of course the maid's uniform went a long way in pacifying her true nature, but he had a feeling that didn't necessarily stop her.

She seemed more timid now and was way too submissive. The act she was putting on was a good one but he wasn't convinced. He wanted to see her riled and wanted her to lose her temper. He wanted to see just how far he could push her before all hell broke loose. It might make the morning a little more interesting than most.

"Look up," he said sitting in the chair beside the table on which she had put his breakfast tray. He reached for his cup and turned to her again. Her hands were fisted at her sides and her head remained bowed. He smirked. So she was already upset, was she? A little more goading and she would go over the edge, he imagined.

"I said, look up Mari," he repeated. Haru took a deep breath and looked up at him. The fire was very clear in her eyes and was as clear as the forced smile on her face.

"Yes?" she said as sweetly as she could muster. He leaned back against the back of the chair and looked at her.

"You are to refer to me as 'master' Mari. Remember that."

Haru gritted her teeth. Her hands were tightly clenched and her anger was about to bubble to the surface. She could feel her temper rising slowly. Another word out of him and she wouldn't give two pence about the consequences. She would gladly show him how they treated stuck-up know-it-alls on the streets she had grown up in.

"Yes... master," she said grudgingly. The word left a bad taste in her mouth.

"Good, now get my morning clothes ready and prepare my bath. I should be early for my meeting today."

He dismissed her with a wave of his hand and sipped his tea.

She turned and stomped off to the bathroom to get his bath ready. She should boil the arrogant crab alive. Idiotic chauvinistic male that he was! She would have made his water scalding hot but reason returned right on time. If she did, he would make her do something even more humiliating no doubt. Besides, from what she had heard the maids whisper, albeit supposedly behind her back, she was the fifth personal maid in three months. They didn't last long since he was a hard mad to please. It didn't seem that way to Haru. He was just intimidating. No doubt he was just full of hot air too. Behind all that bluster, he was just another aristocrat.

She made his bath with warm water and stepped out to tell him so. He nodded and she went to his wardrobe to get out his clothes. While he was in the shower she could make her escape at last! She grinned at her genius and looked through his clothes.

Now what had she been told about that day? The colours he wore were apparently very important and since he was meeting important officials, he should be wearing the black yukata with the royal blue belt... or was it the red one with the dragon design?

Well, he was a smart man, he could figure it out himself. She pulled them both out and laid them on his unmade bed then nodded and went to the door. She walked to it and turned to the bathroom door just as she heard the water in the tub sloshing about. She stuck out her tongue and turned the knob – which refused to turn.

She couldn't believe it; he had locked her in!

Of all the underhanded! Oh he made her so mad! She felt the rage in her come to a boil once more as she thought of escaping over the window. It wasn't so difficult. She had done it before a hundred times when going to see one of the nicer nobles around town. There was a tree just outside the window and she could climb down it s easily as she drew breath. Trees were her favourite things growing up after all.

With a smug smirk of her own, she made for the balcony in order to asses her means of escape. She looked down and saw the cobbles of the path leading into the gardens on the left and the fountain to the right. Beyond that was the hedge behind which she had seen the other master practising with his sword. He seemed to be the nicer one. If so inclined, he might even have helped her escape.

That wouldn't work. His loyalties lay with his brother after all. He seemed nice and all but he didn't look like the traitorous type. Haru blushed at the memory of his skilled movements with his sword. He must have practised a lot to be able to slice the air so precisely. She would hate to be an enemy on the other end of that sword.

She shook her head and returned her thoughts to the task at hand – getting out of that room. She calculated that the she would probably have to jump to reach the nearest branch but that was easy enough. The roof's tiles were pretty sturdy from what she could see and they would hold her weight perfectly. The only thing that might hamper her movement was the skirt of this ridiculous black and white dress she had been forced to wear.

Just as she put her hand on the balcony to vault onto the tiles, another hand lay on hers. She jumped at the touch, having not noticed anyone behind her. Since the door had been locked, there was only one conclusion she could come to...

"I hope you were not planning to escape that way," he said in he ear, his voice deceptively silky. When had he gotten that close to her? Haru didn't say a word. If she did, she would probably rail at him anyway. Heck, if he was this close, he probably wouldn't see it coming.

She turned suddenly and glared at him to make the height of her temper known.

That was when she noticed that his robe had slipped open revealing his chest. It was all chiselled muscle and planes. His wet hair stuck to his forehead and his eyes, curse him, were gleaming with mild amusement. To her immense horror, she felt a blush creep up her neck. The blood rushed to her cheeks and she realised belatedly that she should probably look away.

"Am I making you uncomfortable, Mari-chan?" he said with a smirk. She said nothing and pushed past him to stand a ways away glaring at him for all she was worth as of ready to rip his head from his shoulders and relish every second. Hibari smiled genuinely now and went to the door. He took the key from the pocket of his robe and unlocked the door.

Haru was about to walk out when he spoke again.

"In the future, Mari-chan," he said calmly, "you would do well to respond immediately. I don't take kindly to insubordination."

She paused very briefly to hear his words then she turned, curtsied (much to her utter displeasure) and went out of the room. She had barely escaped with her sanity intact, she thought. Now she would have to keep this up indefinitely. She hated that possibility but what choice did she have? Besides, that last statement had come out as more of a warning.

Haru had a feeling that he was one of those few nobles who said what they meant and never made idle threats. If she was ever to leave, she would have to follow all of his commands to the letter. Nothing in this world irked her more than that, but she had to remind herself that she did this for Fuuta. He would never leave the streets if she didn't do anything about it. She would have to stick to her original plan and simply bide her time until she could get out of there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Another chapter! I hope you guys like it. I have really put a lot of effort in continuing this story but my creativity has come back in leaps and bounds. I hope I can keep this up so I can keep entertaining you all. Well, let me know what you think? Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR or any of the characters you might recognise from the series. I am only responsible for the plot and the few OCs present in the story.**

Haru wiped her brow pleased at her results. She had been sent back up to the master's room to clean it up. She made the bed, opened all the windows, organised the things on his table and changed the curtains. There was nothing he could complain about now so she should be fine. She smiled and gave a contented sigh. All that was left now was to get his things ready for the evening.

That she could do after a while so she had a moment to rest.

She should probably survey the gardens so she could find a way to escape when the time came. It helped to know the terrain. She had been given way too much freedom, she realised and she should be careful about that. She was probably being watched from somewhere she didn't know. She should for now just pretend to take a walk in the garden.

She nodded, took her bucket and rug and went down the halls to the back where she could dump the water. She put everything away and slipped away before Akino could notice she was free. No doubt the cranky older woman would insist on her helping some servant or other. She had been told as much so she might as well disappear altogether.

Haru made her way to the garden the way she remembered and hid behind one hedge as a maid passed by. She missed being seen by one of the gardeners by just a fraction. Her aim was the furthest end of the garden. If she could make her way there and back without being seen, she would know what to expect when she escaped.

She made it behind a long row of bushes before she was seen. Then she heard the giggles. There was group of maids closing in on her position. Haru bit her lip and picked up her skirts. She wasn't supposed to be found. She ran behind another bush and right into someone else.

That someone pulled her behind a bush before she could register any more than a dark head of hair and strong arms. Those same arms held her prisoner against a muscled front. One hand covered her mouth preventing her from screaming or alerting anyone of their presence there. Haru wouldn't have panicked, She was curious first of all to find out who was holding her prisoner. She could simply get back out of trouble if that was the case by blowing their cover if need be.

To do that, she would have to make this person think that she was calm and wouldn't actually scream.

A couple of maids walked by and then she heard the sigh that tickled the hair at her nape. She felt the jolt of electricity that followed and stiffened slightly. The man must have noticed because he let her go immediately. She turned to look into the smiling eyes of the younger master.

She gaped at him and he rubbed the back of his head chuckling as he did. He immediately stopped and raised a finger to his lips signalling silence then he grabbed her wrist and led her down the path they were on as quietly as possible to the other end of the garden where the flowers began.

He looked around one more time then down at her with a smile.

"Thank you Mari-chan. You've saved me a lot of trouble," he said and squeezed her hand. Haru was mesmerised for a moment by the gentle lilt of his voice and the kindness in his eyes. The light squeeze he gave her hand made her gasp slightly. Her gaze turned briefly to her hand still imprisoned in his then she raised her eyes to meet his again.

She hadn't realised just how handsome he had looked. Now that he was up close, it was more evident. The very soft brown colour of his eyes held her captive in their depths. She hadn't felt like this in all her years... as if she was floating and sinking at the same time. Was that even possible? She wondered what could be wrong with her. She felt her face grow hot.

He seemed to have been looking at her just as intently though. She turned to study the petals on the flowers closest to her not trusting herself to speak just yet. Her hand slipped from his grasp and he cleared his throat.

"I hope I haven't interrupted an errand of yours. I promise Akira-san won't scold you if I have, it's entirely my fault after all."

Haru shook her head and met his gaze giving him a guilty smile. He smiled back and nodded in understanding. Haru had to admit she loved his smile. When the corners of his mouth lifted it was as if on their way up they lit up the rest of his face in such an amazing way that you couldn't help but smile back. It was a little strange that she would notice so much about one person. She forced those thoughts aside.

"Ah, you were escaping too. Well, want some company?" His question surprised her. She half expected him to take her right back to the house and to work. She looked back the way they had come and then her smile brightened. This hadn't been in her plans but she might as well take advantage of the situation and get him to show her the way around. She nodded. He led the way around the garden and she followed quietly taking a mental note of everything around her. They got to a pond and he stopped.

"Mari-chan, are you okay?" he asked turning to her with concern. She found she rather liked how he said 'Mari-chan' although it wasn't her name to begin with. The older master said it in a way that made her shiver with disgust – as if she was nothing important. The younger master said it as if she was something special... at least she fancied that was how he said it. She almost wished it was actually her name.

"You haven't said a word. Can you speak?" he asked looking genuinely worried. She looked at him puzzled and then realised that she hadn't said a word in his presence. She nodded and held her hands behind her feeling a little mischievous. He beamed at her then.

"I'm glad. Do you have a name? I know it's not Mari-chan..." Again she nodded.

"Will you tell it to me?" she shook her head and he chuckled.

"I promise I won't tell my brother," he tried again. She seemed to consider this then she shrugged non committally.

He nodded then held his hand out to her. She looked at his hand then at him curiously.

"I have to earn your trust I see," he said. She nodded and he smiled.

"Smart girl. Then I will do my best to earn it from you, Mari-chan."

She smiled and took the lead walking around the pond. He followed watching her in quiet fascination.

"You don't like my brother very much do you?" he asked. She made a face and shook her head. He laughed. She loved the sound of his laugh.

"He can be a bit hard at times but he does a good job of taking care of things. Don't be too hard on him hmm Mari-chan? He might hurt you..." There was a certain tone his voice took on that made her tip her head to the side. She regarded him for a moment then decided to nod. He seemed to care about her welfare at least so she could at least do that for him.

"He's not so bad if you do what he says. I think that's part of the reason all of his personal maids have left. I don't think they got to understand him well enough."

She smiled and nodded again.

"Well, I have to get back before father sends someone to find me. It was nice talking to you Mari-chan."

He smiled, gave her a friendly wave and left her alone in the garden. Haru sighed and sat on the grass thinking about the very short time she had spent with him. The younger master was much nicer. She liked him a lot. He could even become her friend if she was so inclined. That would be nice. She sighed again.

"It _**was**_ nice spending time together," she sighed.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

By the time Haru had gone back to the house, it was getting late and Akira was in a mad fit. Haru had disappeared for half the day and there was still much to be done. She mumbled her apologies and set about getting the master's clothes on his bed. He would probably have a bath before he went to bed but that was yet to be determined.

Haru had decided that since she was only going to be there as long as she possibly could before she could escape, she might as well do the very best job she could. Besides, after her talk with the younger master, she had changed her opinion of him albeit a very little bit.

She even added an extra bit of cinnamon to his tea. He would appreciate that, or at least Akira seemed to think so. He came back and she welcomed him with a smile. He raised a brow and stepped into the room. She served him his tea and brought it to him.

"I do hope you enjoy your tea, sir. Shall I get your bath ready?" He looked suspiciously at the cup and said nothing.

"I didn't poison it. I'll take a sip if you don't trust me," she said and took the cup from his hands. She took a sip, smiled at him then handed the cup back to him. She went to the bathroom a moment later then started preparing his bath. Hibari looked at the bathroom door and narrowed his eyes. What on earth had gotten into her?

He tasted the tea and looked again at the cup. It had a hint of cinnamon. Just the right amount to put him in a good mood. She was still being too nice. He supposed he could give her a reprieve tonight. He would have to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible. Something had to have changed her mood. She hadn't liked him that morning.

He mulled it over as he sipped his tea quietly waiting for her to finish preparing his bath. When she had finished, he had also finished his tea. Just as an experiment, he left the door unlocked and went to take his bath. He found her patiently waiting for him to finish. She had even pulled back the covers for him and was waiting for her orders.

He sat on the bed and looked at her again.

He dismissed her and she picked up the dishes and went out with them. Hibari lay his head on his pillows and thought it over. Nobody changed that quickly without having an ulterior motive. He would have to watch her closely to determine what it was she was getting at. There had to be something she was working towards. He could always make her life miserable and have a little fun while finding out why she was being so nice. With a smirk he shut his eyes and went to sleep. He would find out if it was the very last thing he did.


	6. Chapter 6

**And here is the next chappie! I really hope you like it though Hibari is going to be a bit of a jerk for a few more chapters. My twisted creativity likes making Hibari a little S as some of you may have noticed… Well, let me know what you think about it? Thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR or claim any rights to it or any of the characters depicted in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the manga or anime. I am otherwise only responsible for the plot.**

Haru scowled at Akira-san's back. She was going to follow her to the market today. It would have been very possible for Haru, who had not seen the outside walls of the mansion in almost two weeks, to escape from the testy maid, but not with the two guards flanking them.

She had to carry the basket of supplies through the streets and follow Akino everywhere she went. If that wasn't humiliating enough, she was actually shackled to one of the guards! She had it in mind to kill her master. Now if only she could find out where it was the rat poison was kept. She would probably never get away with it though. She grimaced imagining the dire consequences. According to Takeshi-san, the younger master, it was her master who was keeping the law working the way it was meant to.

He was that scary on purpose. Otherwise nobody would listen to him and by fearing him, people did as he asked. Sometimes he got genuinely angry but not very often. Still, it had been his idea that she go shopping, or so Akino had said. She had also said that Haru would be allowed to leave the house only to do the shopping but she would be chained to a guard at all times.

She cursed for the fifth time under her breath. This was the most ridiculous thing he had had her do in the three weeks since she had been there. Well, second to one or two she could think of. Hibari-sama, as she was meant to call him, had worked her to the bone. He'd made her change the bed three times every two days, scrub the tub until her arms ached and just generally raised her hackles at his every whim. Severally, she had come close to punching his face in. One of those days, she just might. He was more infuriating than ever!

"Just treat him right. He'll change... Ha! That's a laugh," she muttered.

"Mari!" came Akino's harsh voice. Haru looked up to see Akino pointing to a pile of tomatoes. Haru blinked and raised a brow. What did she want now?

"Get your head out of the clouds and back to this trip. The master will not be pleased if you don't do your duties well. Do you want to be sent to the sty?"

Haru shook her head and apologised. She had already been sent to the sty to teach her a lesson in manners. She couldn't imagine why anyone would want to be sent there. The sty was filthy! Coming from her, that was saying something too. She'd had to scrub for hours to get the smell off of her before the master came home and that had been no picnic either. She wouldn't be doing anything bad in a hurry – at least for the moment she would behave.

She reached for the pile of tomatoes and pulled one out. She had stolen one or two in her day. Those were mostly for fun but she had taken a liking for raw tomatoes. It beat going hungry any day. She looked it over and put it in her basket. Some of them were already rotting and others had been horribly bruised. She picked out ten of the best she could see as per Akira's instructions. The older maid watched her, then, seemingly satisfied, nodded curtly to the guard and they were moving on to the next cart.

"Madam! Madam! Over here! Fresh fruit for your master's table! Come and see this melon. Just come in from the country. Very fresh! Come and buy!" said the next stall owner shoving a watermelon enthusiastically in Akira's face. She gave him a stern look ad he grinned at her.

"You have a very good eye, yes? Buy a melon for your master or mistress. They will be very pleased!"

Haru eyed the melon suspiciously. She had seen one or two of those go very bad in the pack. Even in the market she had noted these things. The pack had no use for food they couldn't eat. Telling whether a melon was ripe was difficult but she hadn't been wrong so far. She was pretty sure the one Akira-san was now looking at was less fresh than the seller guaranteed. It could as well be on its way to rotting if it wasn't already.

Haru took the melon from Akira and tapped it twice. She looked it over again and shook her head at the seller. "I don't think this one is quite what our master is looking for. I would much prefer that one." Akira looked about to burst with indignation. Haru ignored her and picked up the melon she pointed to. This one was a little smaller but much better. It wasn't unripe, but it would definitely not be rotting inside. She handed this one to Akira who then took her time looking it over.

She kept giving Haru side-glances and then, with a haughty lift of her nose, she told Haru to hand him the money. Again Haru looked at the money uncertainly. She had been a thief and had some experience with money. She knew a melon couldn't cost that much. She was about to argue when she caught the look Akira gave her. She handed the money over and Akira turned and led the way to another stall. That look had meant that Haru would get a scolding for making a fool out of her in front of an audience. Haru rolled her eyes. She couldn't wait, she thought sarcastically.

Really though, Akira-san could save a lot of money if she paid attention. The melon cost at least half the money the seller had asked for. It was these clothes of theirs and the guards as well. That bespoke of royalty. Royalty could eat well for a fair price if they were so inclined. She would like to see the look on Akira's haughty face when Haru went shopping alone. She could bargain circles around Akira since clearly she had no experience whatsoever despite the older maid's boasting about knowing the ins and outs of shopping.

Akira stopped to look at a bunch of grapes and tangerines and Haru looked closely at them. She noticed the little hand that shot out and grabbed one of the less guarded tangerines. Her eyes widened and she followed the grubby little hand to the rest of the body. She caught sight of the little dark blonde head before it disappeared and her eyes widened. She would recognise that head of hair anywhere and from a mile away too!

She pretended to drop her basket. Akira looked right at her and she drew the guards' and shopkeeper's attention to herself. That was a dangerous stunt Fuuta had just pulled. Haru apologised a dozen times to the now very livid Akira. The maid narrowed her eyes and Haru bowed making her apologies. In the corner of her eye, she saw the little blonde head disappear safely around the corner. He had gotten away that time. Next time he might not be so lucky!

Haru sighed in relief and watched the market carefully. Honestly, the others shouldn't have let him go on this mission alone. What if he had been seen? He would be done for! Where were they anyway? If Fuuta was there, that meant that the others were too...

The others!

She couldn't let them see her in this get up. She would be the laughing stock of the pack for as long as she lived! That was the better outcome too since it was very likely that she would not be allowed back into the pack for betraying a few trade secrets. She pulled down her hat and looked down. She hoped she hadn't been seen yet. That would be a major disaster.

She shuffled on with her head bowed and her eyes open. This was one problem she could have done without. Still, it would have been nice if she could have some help escaping from her prison. She wanted to run free again and have something to do other than wait on a master who regarded her efforts as nothing and didn't thank her once. He lived to ridicule her and it was way more than her temper could stand, most times.

Akira cleared her throat and stretched her hand out to Haru. Haru blinked at the maid blankly.

"Honestly, Mari, how many times do I have to tell you to pay attention? Tomorrow you will be on ground duty all morning. If you cross me one more time, I will make sure you get sent to the sty for the week! Is that understood?"

Haru nodded solemnly. She didn't like this part of staying in a big house. Some of the other maids were really nice and she had made one or two friends. She had a warm bed and three hot meals a day. She had warm clothes and a chance to shower every day. These were all things, but it didn't quite compare to her freedom which she would much rather have...

She sighed and walked back towards the waiting coach outside the market. She had a lot to be thankful for but a lot more was left wanting. She wanted to be free to run around with her friends again. She climbed into the coach and sat down waiting to be taken back to her prison. She was grateful for this one moment on the outside of the walls. She had no idea when the next time was but she had a feeling she would have to wait a while.

The driver cracked his whip and they were off.

But from one corner of the market, a boy smirked as he saw the coach disappear in the distance. Beside him, a girl looked on unbelieving and a head of dark blonde hair flanked his other side with a similar look of shock.

"So, she was caught after all," said Basco under his breath. Hime-chan blinked as if she had just seen an apparition. It couldn't possibly be Haru-nee in that coach, could it? It wasn't possible. According to Basco, she was sitting in jail and being punished for being caught. He had used it to scare the others every now and again. She turned to him now not liking the smirk on his face one bit. He was planning something sinister.

Fuuta looked on in surprise. Haru had climbed into a rich man's coach and was driving off. He was sure it was her since he had known her for a very long time. That meant that she was a prisoner where she was. If the chain around her ankle was any indication, she was in trouble.

"Come, we have to tell the pack to help her," said Fuuta tugging Hime-chan's arm. Basco stopped them both and rubbed his chin. He had an idea that would ensure the entire pack was satisfied. The foolish little girl had gotten herself caught, had she? Well, before they freed her, and it wouldn't really be hard to do just that, they would use this to their advantage.

"No, we won't free her just yet. She'll be fine where she is for now..." he said cryptically. Fuuta frowned and watched the coach disappear in the distance. He wanted to see where Haru was staying. He had to know that she really was safe. He just had to.

He took a step in the direction the coach had gone when Hime-chan held his hand. He turned to look at her and she shook her head. In the entire pack, Hime-chan was the only other person he could trust. Most of the other guys were completely loyal to Basco and the others wouldn't help him if he asked. Hime-chan was his best choice when it came down to it. He nodded and turned back to Basco who hadn't noticed the exchange.

He did know a few people who could help him figure to whom the emblem on the coach belonged. That would be the first step. Of course Basco would be furious with him but Basco didn't matter. Haru-nee had done a lot for him in the past. Now that she was in trouble, he would do his best to see if he could help her. With that resolve in mind, he followed Basco back to the pack.


	7. Chapter 7

**I know most of you are going to kill me for taking forever to update this but I absolutely couldn't live with myself if I started another story without completing this one first. My writer's block isn't helping matters much, but I really do hope I won't disappoint you with this chapter or in the coming ones. Either way, please let me know? Many thanks :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and locations depicted here that you may recognise from the anime/ manga. I am only responsible for the plot and the OCs and nothing else.**

Haru sighed for the fifth time as she hung up the laundry she had previously been washing. Her arms hurt like the devil and she was bone tired, but it was all worth it to get a few moments to see... _**him...**_

Takeshi-sama had been practising on the front lawn for the better part of the day and had worked up a pretty good sweat. The laundry was all out to dry now and she had to get back to her duties. If not, she would be sent to the sty again and the last time she had been assigned there, she'd had to scrub thrice before she started smelling like herself again. Her new found odour hadn't missed Hibari-sama's notice and he'd irritated her more than ever that night.

Akira hadn't even been the least bit understanding either.

"He's dreamy nee?" said a maid next to her. Haru forgot what her name was. She hadn't been the favourite of many of the maids there and none of them had even bothered to talk to her, let alone about one of the masters. Haru got the feeling it was because she was first of all a criminal and because she got special treatment from the masters. Special her foot.

Hibari-sama did anything but treat her as special – unless they meant being used as target practice for his verbal criticism. She was starting to get used to it... which she supposed was bound to happen. He was all bluster after all, it seemed. The wicked master aside, Haru turned to look at the maid standing next to her with a linen basket of her own. She must have been tending to one of the guests they had the night before.

She looked young – about Haru's age – and had what Haru would call kind eyes. Haru hadn't come across her before and so decided that she must be new. The household staff seemed to change as the master willed and the only reason she was kept on was because she had been caught stealing. That was a well-known fact so she hadn't expected much of the others nor had she given them any reason to despise her. If they did, that was their problem.

"Nee, Mari-chan, do you think he has a girlfriend?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the skilled warrior practising before them.

"I wouldn't know," she replied as calmly as she could manage lifting the basket and watching him swing his sword at imaginary enemies. The fluidity of his movements never failed to awe her so completely. He looked up at her as he finished and nodded in her direction. She smiled in return and felt a blush coming on. That being the case, she quickly turned and headed for the house. If Akira-san caught her, there would be no end to it!

"How long have you been here? You're not like the others, are you?" she asks following Haru. She must certainly be new since she isn't following everyone else's code of silence. It doesn't matter. Haru decides she likes the girl. Before she can turn to ask her her name, Akira-san spots her and calls her aside.

"Takeshi-sama's maid is ill today and I have given her the day off. It's your duty to tend to his room as well as Hibari-sama's. Get them ready before the morning is out and I do not want to hear any complaints. Is that understood?"

Of course Haru wasn't going to say anything about how they had both stolen a bit of cake from the master's table. Clearly Haru had a stronger stomach or Akira-san would get suspicious.

She nodded and Akira-san went off after an unfortunate maid who happened to bump into a man-servant carrying a tray of glasses. Well, that was a development and a half. The closest she had ever been to Takeshi-sama's room was the hallway in the wing opposite his, that is, Hibari-sama's room. Somehow, the thought of making his bed and picking his clothes made it seem a little more... intimate than she would have liked.

She had done the same countless times for Hibari-sama, but that was different.

She had never felt anything beyond irritation when he was near. He was always riling her (on purpose, she realised) and getting her to do the most ridiculous things. Sometimes, she had a wicked thought or two and wished she could add one of his favourite shirts to the trash to be burned or add salt instead of sugar to his tea. It would be childish of her, however, so she never did. Besides, Akira-san was no joke when it came to tending to the masters.

Haru had barely met Takeshi-sama's father. She had found out the story from one of the other maids who was gossiping about it. Of course Akira-san highly disapproved of gossip and would have probably burst a vein if she had heard. Haru found out that Hibari was actually in charge of the house, but his step father was in charge of the other family businesses which were doing quite well. There was speculation about his eligibility for marriage since the mistress (God rest her soul) had passed on leaving Hibari not quite orphaned.

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto was a kind and gentle man. He loved both his boys and treated each one fairly. He never looked down on his servants like most nobles did. He was very hard-working too and so far, since his wife had passed, the businesses had flourished in his able hands. Here was a man worth admiring, thought Haru when she first met him.

Haru had never seen his room either, but it wasn't that she couldn't be assigned there. It was that she was Hibari's special maid and would attend to him as he pleased. That she got to work on Takeshi-sama's room was a miracle itself.

Akira-san at least had the heart to let poor Mika-chan off for the day. Haru could only imagine what the master would be like if she got sick. No doubt he would make her work even then, the arrogant goat.

The door shut behind her with a thud as she was surrounded at once by his scent. Haru felt her pulse leap a little at that and cleared her throat. That was just because she had seen Akira-san and nothing else. She looked around as she stepped away from the door and placed the sheets neatly on the chair near the bed.

There was a lot to be done. She had to change the beddings and take the dirty clothes from the bathroom to the laundry. Then she would have to take the rug for dusting and have it replaced then sweep the room and give it a quick once-over with a rug and a bucket.

She did way less for Hibari-sama's room so this was going to be a breeze.

Besides, when one worked for love, it meant nothing.

She stopped herself then and shook her head. Love? Really? There was no way in all the earth that she could possibly... I mean, of course he was very handsome and kind to boot. He didn't treat her like someone else she could mention (here she wrinkled her nose in disdain) and he managed to sneak her a fruit every now and again.

She found herself sighing and wondered if maybe she was getting too tired. Or maybe it was the fact that she had been indoors too long. Even when she was outdoors, it was to rush off to her next duty but never to do what she'd always wanted to do, be who she wanted to be.

It had been a long four weeks, and still her punishment would continue. The arrogant master who had put her in his household would not let her go very soon. She shook her head clear of thoughts about overbearing pigs and went about her work humming as she did. She couldn't say that she wasn't pleased at having to work in that room.

It was fashioned rather differently from Hibari-sama's. For one thing, it was in one corner of the house so it had more windows. Takeshi-sama's bed faced the doors to the balcony which were open to let the fresh air in. The mauve sheers danced gracefully with every breath of air that met them whilst the dark blue curtains held their place to the sides. There were six windows in all.

The walls were painted a lighter blue that didn't seem at all out of place. Along the walls were several pictures which also seemed to compliment the room. Off to the left of the bed was a large wardrobe which probably held all the master's clothes. She would have to pick them out for him before she left. To the right of the bed and on her left, Haru saw his desk. It wasn't as neat as Hibari-sama's desk. Instead, it was littered with books and papers. She had been given strict instructions to leave this as it was. The master had a way of doing things that didn't involve neatness, evidently. In the other corner of the room and to the left of the doors was a door leading, no doubt, to the bathroom.

To the right of the balcony doors were two bookshelves and a rather old sword hung from hooks on the wall between them. Considering his skill with a sword, it was no wonder either. Haru surveyed the entire room once more liking the quiet peace she felt here despite her slightly trembling hands. It had to be the excitement of being in a new room. All maids felt it, she had been told by one of the other maids. It would wear off eventually.

It was strange that once she touched the sheets of the bed she felt a thrill dance through her. It made her gasp slightly, but she shook it off. This was ridiculous. She really should stop thinking strange things. As she lifted the covers from the bed, she found herself once again surrounded by his scent. She quickly pulled the beddings from the bed and then took the fresh sheets from the seat beside her.

She spread the bed and carried the dirty linens with her and put them by the door. She went to the wardrobe and opened the doors seeing all of Takeshi-sama's robes and clothes in neat stacks and on hangers and couldn't help the smile on her face. She idly touched one of the robes and caught herself sighing. She was wasting precious time and she still had to make Hibari-sama's tea. He would irritate her if she did what he said but he would drive her half mad if she didn't.

Still, she couldn't help the feeling that she was a little bit closer to Takeshi-sama here. In that room, she was surrounded by him. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she allowed herself to savour those few short moments before she would have to deal with Hibari-sama. It seemed almost sacrilege to speak his name or even think about him in this tranquil place.

Haru skimmed her hand over the sheets once more and stepped back. She went around the room arranging everything that she had been instructed to arrange, then she smiled to herself and took the dirty linens on her way out. She was in a much better mood now and even found herself humming a tune a traveller had taught her to play on his flute. She had never seen the traveller again, but he had seemed to promise that they would see each other again.

Funny that she should think about him again now.

She smiled feeling her mood lift once more and went about finishing up her duties. She was so engrossed in doing her very best in the room that she didn't notice the figure in the partially open doorway watching her as she worked.

Hibari frowned.

She'd never before hummed when she worked in his room. That was to be expected. He was teaching her a lesson after all. She was feisty and a bit rude and once or twice, he'd heard her insult him indirectly. She was as sharp-witted as she was sharp-tongued. She would be more trouble than she was worth for sure.

Despite all this logic, the strange feeling of betrayal in his gut didn't settle. His frown deepened as he moved away from the door. He was working too hard. After all, the gentry never dallied with maids – not that he was seeking dalliance at all, that is.


	8. Chapter 8

**I know I have taken forever with updating this story and some of you may have already given up on it and me *sob* but I'm really doing my best. I don't think my muse is very happy with me since the writer's block has been going on for a while. I've been looking at deviant art and reading other fics to try and get inspiration so let's see what happens. This chapter is a little short, but it says what I want it to so it shouldn't be too bad. Thank you for reading!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and locations depicted in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot.**

Fuuta looked around cautiously making sure he hadn't been followed. He'd have hated for Basco to know he had gone off in search of Haru himself. The fact was that she had to be warned. Basco was up to no good and she deserved to know. She had taken care of him for so long after all. He could only try to repay the favour.

The good thing about being as little as he was, as Hime-chan had explained earlier, was that people hardly paid attention to him. He easily slipped between the market people and noticed the guards wearing uniform similar to those that had escorted Haru that day. He cast another wary look around and followed them trying to find out any information he could. Maybe if he followed them at a proper distance, he could find out where Haru was being kept.

Surely she couldn't be happy where she was. She hadn't seemed that way when she was being led back into the carriage even though it looked very rich even by servant standards.

"I'll find you, Haru-nee," he thought and slipped behind the guards again. They turned off at the main road and began heading west. That was the wealthy district. They stayed away from the town for the most part but when the 'gently bred' had to associate with the riff raff, they did so in grand carriages like the one that had transported Haru.

The carriage disappeared behind the walls of the wealthy district. This would be the tricky part. He looked around making sure that there were no guards about and darted between the houses as expertly as he could. The carriage turned off at several points and then came to a halt at one of the grander houses. His cover was at an end since there was barely anywhere to hide properly.

Peeking from his hiding place behind a marble wall, he saw the carriage drive into the gate and smiled. He had found her at last.

Getting in had been a problem, but getting out would be no problem at all, he thought. It didn't matter though. He had found her and that was enough for him. Now all he needed to do was devise a plan to see her and make sure she was fine. After that, he would get her out of there. Hime-chan would help him. She always did when he needed her to. She was even the one who had helped him sneak away.

Now he had to leave and let her know what he had found. There was the chance that she might tell Basco what she had found but he doubted that she would do something like that. They both knew what Basco was capable of and he was planning something with Haru. No doubt it spelled trouble. If he managed to get her out of there before Basco could implement his plans, then there would be no problem.

Hime would help him get a message to Mari. She was the only one who could. That meant, however, that he would have to act fast. Basco could not be very far behind in his plans for Haru.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru yawned and stretched her aching limbs. She had been scrubbing for all of half an hour and already her arms ached. She was used to it by now but that didn't make her tasks any more pleasant. She sighed thinking about the breakfast she'd had that morning.

As usual, she was meant to wait on the arrogant Hibari-sama hand and foot and this time, he'd decided he would rather have his breakfast with his brother. That was a pleasant surprise for Haru. She hadn't seen or talked to him since that morning in the garden when he'd told her to try and please his brother as much as possible.

Well, clearly that was not the case. He was still mean and stiff and evil, she thought with a scowl. Just that morning, he'd made her iron out five of his shirts before he was satisfied with none of those but another that one of the other maids brought in! Then he'd made her return his tea because it was too cool and then bring him freshly baked bread for which she'd had to wait another half an hour. It had been torturous!

Then Takeshi-sama had spoken up and asked Hibari to be nicer to her. Hibari-sama had then looked from Takeshi-sama to her with blatant suspicion and Haru, casting a desperate look at Takeshi-sama, caught the wink he'd given her then.

Her cheeks coloured and she hastily turned to leave mumbling something about getting more bread. She bit her lip all the way down to the kitchen suppressing a whoop of joy. It was no secret that she liked him, at least not to herself and not any more.

She grinned as she asked the cook for more bread and honey. He had to wonder at her sudden change in mood since she had been scowling rather blackly when she had come in before. Now she looked as happy as a spring bride. For the life of him, the cook couldn't really understand the girl, but they had come to a sort of understanding with one another. She was lively and very opinionated but she'd become rather important to him. She did remind him, after all, of the daughter he'd lost so very long ago.

"Are they still making you run for their tea?"

"No, it's just the _**one **_as usual. You know how it is. I need a little more bread and some more honey. The masters are waiting," she added in a mock haughty voice. The cook laughed and loaded her tray with what she had requested then watched her retreating back. She was a gem that one. It was a wonder none of the men in the household had made their moves on her yet. That, however, was probably because of Hibari-sama.

Any man worth his salt knew that to cross Hibari-sama was to ask for some serious trouble – not only because he was an authority figure, but also because he was so very strong and skilled with weapons. Cook shook his head. He would have hated to be on the opposite side of a fight with that one...

Haru hummed slightly as she tripped up the stairs in a fashion Akira-san would no doubt have several things to say about. She didn't care though. Takeshi-sama was waiting for her and he had winked at her too! Oh the things that ran through her besotted feminine brain. She sighed when she stopped outside the door and when she came in, her smile was that much brighter. If Hibari-sama noticed, he said nothing but Takeshi-sama had complimented her.

Hibari-sama had chosen that one moment to release her from her duties and he did so rather coldly. She couldn't have imagined that. He was cold by nature. If she wasn't a prisoner there, she would have quit for all his difficulty already.

Hibari watched her smile and then curtsy and leave. This had to stop...

What exactly was it that had to stop? Surely he couldn't be bothered by the fact that his personal maid was trying to flirt with his brother, nor should he be feeling that her attention should be on him. I mean, of course she should be attending him since she was his personal maid after all and she should not be flirting with his brother because it was not allowed.

Somehow that made him frown.

"She's really cute, nee Kyoya?" said Yamamoto smiling and patting his stomach. Hibari grunted non-committally and sipped his tea. Yamamoto smiled and rose.

"Well, I have to be at the governor's meeting in the next town tonight with father. We shouldn't be back for two or three days. I suppose I don't have to tell you to behave yourself while we're gone?"

"That's my line," said Hibari rising. Yamamoto slung an arm around his brother's shoulders as they walked out into the hall and Hibari sighed allowing it for today.

"Don't treat Mari-san too badly, nee? She's doing her best for you, you know"

"_**She's doing better for you,"**_ he thought. Surprised by his own thoughts, he turned and left without answering.

Yamamoto chuckled. Hibari never changed. He would seriously think about giving her a little more room to breathe. Mari was pretty and she was determined. Takeshi had seen it in the way she worked so hard even with his brother's most impossible demands.


	9. Chapter 9

**I feel like it's time to get serious, nee? I've been really thinking about this story and how to write it or continue it from where I left off and now that I have a clear plan, I hope I will be able to keep the updates coming. Here's the next chappie of Princess of Rogues and I hope you like it. Please let me know what you think? Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters or locations depicted in this fan fiction story that you may recognise form the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot.**

Takeshi-sama and Tsuyoshi-sama left early the next morning for the governor's meeting. Hibari-sama had been there to see them off and Haru had to be content with standing and watching from a distance. She had been one of the maids helping him pack and she had known about the trip beforehand from Akira-san who had insisted on her being in the know about the important things that went on with the masters. It was her duty as a personal maid after all.

She watched Hibari-sama's back and frowned. Now who would be there to protect her from her monster of a master? She sighed despondently and prayed that Takeshi-sama and his glorious smile would come back soon.

"Mari-san!" came Akira-san's bark. Haru snapped back from her reverie.

"Yes ma'am!" she said saluting then remembering who she was referring to, hid her hands behind her back.

"You still have not straightened the master's room and there are plenty more chores to be done. If you keep slacking off, it'll be the sty for you!"

Haru curtsied and rushed off down the hall muttering to herself about testy maids not minding their own business. She turned the corner at the top of the stairs and headed for Hibari-sama's room. His breakfast dishes were still on the table and his bed was unmade. Given the fact that she'd had to help Takeshi-sama last minute (Mika-chan was still sick) didn't give her much time to get things done. She sighed and began setting everything to rights.

It had become a little habit of hers to imagine that what work she was given she was doing for the sake of Takeshi-sama. He would see how hard-working she was and then... and then... she flushed and giggled then cleared her throat.

He would never fall for her. He was handsome and strong and kind and sweet. Just the other day, in the gardens, he had plucked on of the flowers from the nearby bush and given it to her to cheer her up. It was safely hidden among her things so she would never forget it. She grinned thinking about it now and spread the sheet on Hibari-sama's bed.

"If I didn't know better, I would say you're starting to like working for me," came a voice from the doorway. Haru was startled out of her thoughts again but pasted a smile on her face anyway.

"Is there anything you would like, master?" she asked standing straight up and turning to face him. Hibari looked at her for a moment and wondered why it was that he was in here having this conversation at all.

He took a step into the room intending to intimidate her. He liked riling her. She was always very easy to bait but lately, she had been harder and harder to annoy. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. She was probably doing it for Yamamoto. He frowned at his reaction and paused in his steps.

"Come down and see me in my office when you are done," he said and turned to leave.

Haru blinked watching him leave. That was it? No quips? No annoying remarks about how she was turning the bed down wrong or how she had left an imaginary spot on the carpet? This was very strange behaviour. And what was so important that she needed to be given a personal summons from him? Haru thought she may just need to have her guard up for the time being.

Pushing him out of her head, she went back to imagining how very pleased Takeshi-sama would be if she kept quiet and did everything to please her brother. Sometimes, she liked to imagine him rescuing her from the evil Hibari-sama's clutches and riding off with her taking her away from this prison of hers...

She sighed. She was being fanciful again. It was normal for any girl her age. She'd been told that by many of the women she'd come to interact with in her past. It was very normal to give one's heart away to a kind man who made life seem not so bad. Maybe, if he was kind enough, and Haru was convinced that he was, he could even help take in Fuuta and they could live as a family together. She flushed and clutched Hibari-sama's sheet in her hands.

Shaking herself one more time, she spread the bed and picked up the dirty linens for washing. The grin on her face didn't fade. If she could just get him to fall in love with her, the rest would be up to fate. Was it their fate? She didn't know but she certainly hoped so.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

When Haru walked into Hibari-sama's office later that day, she found Akira-san already in the room. Whatever she had been wanted for had to be serious then. She couldn't imagine what he could possibly what with her now. She hadn't done anything bad as far as she could tell. At least she hoped not.

Akira-san, in her usual manner, watched Haru walk into the room, her expression betraying nothing about what she was thinking. Haru stopped right in front of his desk beside Akira and waited for him to speak. He had watched her come in prepared for the very worst. Given how he had treated her, he was not surprised but he was definitely surprised by the intensity of his irritation at the little fear he saw flash in her eyes.

She had been a hell-cat when she had first been brought in. She'd had too much pride to be broken. He hadn't wanted her to lose that pride. She was a brave one, this Mari-san. Come to think of it, she had never said what her name was. She had willingly accepted the name given to her by her unyielding master. Perhaps she didn't even have a name?

It made him wonder where she had been before that. What had she been through? Where had she been living? She seemed able to do most of the tasks she was given very well. Was she a slave at some point? That thought sparked a little anger in him and he was surprised for the second time that day at the protectiveness he felt.

She stood looking directly at him, much to Akira-san's consternation and waited patiently to hear what it was he had to say.

He had a feeling, she would definitely be surprised by his decision. He had come to it a few days after she had begun her work and it seemed to be a good idea. He'd made all the proper arrangements and now all that was left was to let her know. He reached for the little bag sitting on his desk and pushed it towards her. Haru eyed it suspiciously.

What was this for? She looked back at him, the question evident in her eyes.

"Your payment."

Haru blinked. Her what? She wasn't employed! Not really anyway. He couldn't possibly be serious about this.

"I don't want it."

"Mari-san!" came Akira's sharp warning. A reprimand was no doubt on the tip of her tongue but Hibari held up his hand.

"It doesn't matter. It is your pay for the work you have done this month. You can use the money as you wish. If you want to dispose of it, that is none of my concern. You are dismissed."

With that, he took some documents from his desk and began to look through them. Haru looked from him to the bag of coins and back. Akira-san curtsied and left the room. Haru, in a daze, didn't even register the fact that she was meant to have followed suit.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. There was suspicion in her voice and he heard it.

"I see you didn't completely lose your courage."

"What is this about? Why are you paying me?"

"Because you have worked for it. You have never earned a fair wage, have you?"

Haru blinked. She had never been paid in her life. All the things she got in the past, she stole. Now she was being given money for her work. Somehow, she felt... happy. She looked at the bag again. How much would it take for her to be able to get to Fuuta and make a better life for him? He didn't know but this would be a start.

The only problem was that now she would have to thank him for the money. She reached for the bag and picked it up. It felt rather heavy. It wasn't much but it was her very first salary. She looked back at Hibari-sama and noted that a very little bit of her irritation at him had disappeared.

She took a deep breath and bowed.

"Thank you master."

Feeling her face grow hot, she turned and left before he could call her back or comment on that. She had been sincere though. She hadn't expected this at all but she was pleased. If she could manage to save up just enough for her and Fuuta to live comfortably, then she would never have to steal another day in her life.

She smiled as she went to her room to put the coins away. Maybe there was some good to this whole arrangement after all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Finally have chapter 10 up and running. I don't know if it's a little too early for this chapter or not, but I think the story is progressing well. It might not be as long as Bedmates, but it'll work. I hope you like it, but please let me know what you think? Many thanks :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters or locations mentioned in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot, the current character location and any OCs.**

Haru sighed and wiped her forehead. She had been working a little hard lately and it was no wonder. She was actually going to get paid by the end of the month! She couldn't have imagined Hibari-sama doing it out of the goodness of his heart though, so maybe he had been persuaded by his younger brother...

Thinking about Takeshi-sama made Haru smile. She had never felt this way about anyone in her entire life. She vaguely remembered being told about the feelings between a woman and a man but the way the nuns at the church had put it, she hadn't been too sure. She only had to think of Takeshi-sama, hear his name, walk past his room to begin blushing and smiling to herself. Not even the slightly less evil Hibari-sama could dampen her mood.

She sat down under the tree on the other side of the garden (Akira-san wouldn't catch her here) and leaned back against it beginning to feel a little drowsy. She wondered when Takeshi-sama would return. She missed seeing his smile. Her eyes drifted shut and she fell fast asleep with a smile on her face.

Then she had a peculiar dream. She was walking through the garden with Takeshi-sama who was holding her hand in his and pulling her along. She was curious and asked him where he was taking her and he told her it was a secret. They stopped by the pond in the middle of the garden again and that was when he stopped and turned to face her.

"Haru-chan," he said startling her slightly. How did he know her name? She met his gaze and all questions fled her mind.

"I wanted to tell you before but I didn't know how to say it... I love Haru." Her eyes widened at his confession and then he leaned down and did something she could only possibly dream about. He kissed her lips gently and then rubbed the side of her cheek with his thumb and pulled away from her smiling. She smiled back and murmured that she loved him too.

When she woke not a moment later, she was still under the tree and it had been almost an hour. Akira-san was going to be very annoyed with her. She paused only for a moment to ponder the slight tingle still present on her lips. She had been dreaming, hadn't she? So why was there a sensation? Brushing that aside, she got up and went back to the house and her thousand and one duties.

Akira -san was sure to be hopping mad. If this didn't earn her a day in the stables, she didn't know what would. From behind another tree, hidden from her sight, Hibari watched her leave. Silently, he turned away from her and looked out at the pond. He had been working too hard. Takeshi-san had been right. What he needed was some time away from work, away from the house, away from her...

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru walked stiffly to Hibari-sama's bed and poured the tea as usual. Only now she felt even more self-conscious because he was blatantly staring at her and had been doing so wordlessly since she'd walked into the room. She wondered what he found so amusing this time.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him off but who knew what was going on in that head of his? Maybe he was waiting for her to mess up again so he could cut her pay in half or something. It was no wonder. That must have been something else he could hold over her.

Now he sat leisurely on his bed with one arm draped over his knee and the other supporting his head as he watched her. He looked like one of those hosts she had heard so much about. He wasn't ugly, far from it really, but he was no Takeshi-sama.

Of course there was no way any woman could resist him and many hadn't bothered if the number of invitations he got daily were any indication. She could do that just fine. What would he want with her anyway? When she fell for him was he going to make fun of her then? Well he would have another thing coming. Her heart already belonged to someone else.

She could feel his gaze boring into her arm as she carefully picked up the cup and handed it to him like she always had. Still he didn't move but just stared at her with those calculating grey eyes of his. She was getting annoyed now. She wouldn't back down. Not this time. She met his gaze head on with a glare of her own.

"Would you like to drink your tea later, Hibari-sama?" she asked trying to put on a cheerful attitude although they both knew it was false. He chuckled and sat up properly to receive the cup.

"You've become nicer."

She blinked. What had he been expecting exactly? With Akira-san on the prowl, as scary as she was, and having been told to do so by Takeshi-sama, was she going to do otherwise? The first reason was enough anyway. The head maid could have any of the workers trembling in their boots. It was hard to believe she was a mother in the first place – which she actually was.

"Sir?"

"I brought a hell cat into my house and now she's turned into a kitten. You've become more boring, Mari-san." He sipped his tea, put it onto the saucer again and set it back onto the table.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for me?"

This he said with a smirk that she so badly wanted to wipe off his face. Her hands fisted beside her and she ground her teeth. The nerve of the arrogant jerk.

"First all the townswomen, and now the help. Is my charm that good, I wonder..." That was it. She had reached her limit.

"And who would fall for you then? I wouldn't love you if you were the last man on the face of the planet! You're evil and wicked and mean and Ha... and I don't like you in the slightest!"

One moment, Haru was standing next to the bed shouting at her evil master and the next, she was lying on the mattress beneath him with her hands pinned above her head on each side.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked with a smirk. Haru glared at him. If he thought to intimidate her this way, he was wrong.

"Let go of me or I'll scream. What will happen to your precious reputation then?" she asked with a smirk of her own. He chuckled again and leaned close to her ear then murmured.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?"

With that, he rose from the bed and walked into the bathroom. Haru let out a sigh of relief not moving from where she was even as the door shut behind him. For the strangest reason, she was not angry any more. Mildly irritated, but not angry as she would have been. She had gone soft. It was this damned house. She needed to be free. She needed to run the streets again and be in her element and... and what, go back to stealing again?

Haru sighed and sat up from the bed pushing that thought aside. She had better go and change her clothes. As it was, she smelled too much of Hibari-sama and there was no doubt what the other servants would think. As if she could fall for him. How would he know what she liked? He didn't even know her name!

She smoothed imaginary creases from her dress and walked to the door. She paused with her hand on the knob and then turned towards the balcony. She walked towards it with a purpose. Smiling now, she vaulted over the banister and walked gingerly over the roof tiles to the tree branches beside the house.

She grabbed hold of the sturdiest one and crawled across it carefully. Her skirt might have been a problem if she hadn't first tied it up and tucked it properly. Akira-san would throw a mad fit if she saw Haru like this and she grinned thinking what the head maid would look like. She jumped carefully from branch to branch keeping a sharp eye out for anyone who would rat her out. Then she untied her skirt and jumped to land perfectly on the ground.

Smiling to herself, she brushed herself off and walked back into the house. Boring, was she? She scoffed and walked proudly back into the house. She still had it in her and if she felt like it, she would show that arrogant know-it-all just how 'boring' she really was.

Hibari smirked watching her walk back into the house from his vantage. He had seen her vault over the banister and for a moment, had been about to stop her again. Then he got curious. He had stopped her once, but this time, he wanted to see what she would do. She hadn't even noticed him watching her.

She was definitely still a hell cat. He was going to make sure that part of her didn't die if he had to bribe Akira-san to do it. Mari-chan had just gotten more interesting.


	11. Chapter 11

**This has been one of the hardest chapters ever to write. I have no idea how it's come together or if it's as good as the others. I feel Hibari is getting a little too OOC but I'm doing my very best. Let me know what you think? Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this story that you might recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

It was the third and last time she had been forced to put out the laundry and she was glad for it. Akira-san had somehow decided that since there seemed to be nothing else for her to do, she may as well wash a week's worth of laundry on her own. Well, in retrospect, she probably shouldn't have opened the chicken pen even though she was right about one of them being hurt.

She'd had to chase down the chickens with a few of the other men and then she'd been delegated to laundry duty permanently for the day. And this didn't even get her out of serving Hibari-sama, oh no. In fact, she'd had to do everything herself. She had turned the covers and beaten the rugs. She had polished the silver and fetched enough water for a small army. Then she'd done all the laundry to exactly Akira-san's standards (which was why she'd had to do them over thrice) and her arms felt as if they were about to fall off.

Hibari-sama was small fry compared to his tyrant of a head maid. Haru wasn't so sure that wasn't deliberate to begin with. At least this way, he didn't have to worry so much about his house while he was away. It would still run like a well-oiled machine. This was ridiculous though. She had never done so much work in her life! She wiped her brow as she hauled the last of the laundry to the back of the house and began hanging it up.

"I see you got yourself into trouble again," came a voice from behind her. Haru whipped around ready to tell off whomever was there. She was tired enough not to care if it was Hibari-sama or one of the guards most of whom had taken to teasing her. Her words stuck in her throat though when she saw who it was.

Takeshi-sama grinned and raised his hand in greeting.

Thinking to at least show some respect, she bowed and stood back up with her hands held in front of her. That had completely taken her off guard. And what was he hiding behind his back? He didn't remove his hand from behind there which made her very suspicious... but he couldn't really have gotten _**her**_ anything special, could he?

"W... welcome home," she managed to stutter. His smile grew wider and he walked up to her. Haru felt her pulse race and wondered what he was up to and if she could hide her reaction to him for very long.

"How was your meeting?" she asked turning back to the laundry and picking it up again trying to look calm.

"Boring as usual. Figures, laws, measures, advice, money, more advice... Kyoya's more cut out for this than I am. I have no idea how he does it. Speaking of whom, where is my brother?"

"He left this morning on an important errand and said he wouldn't be back until evening."

"Oh well, I can always see him later. In the mean time, here." He pulled a bunch of flowers from behind him and held them out to her. She stared at them and then looked up at him in surprise.

"Don't you like them? I suppose they're not the best ever, but I thought they would cheer you up a bit. Seeing that you look like you're about to fall, you seem to need the cheering up so I just thought..."

"No, no. I like them. I really do. I was just wondering why...?" taking a deep breath, she smiled brightly at him and took the flowers from him. "Thank you."

With another dashing smile and a slight bow, Takeshi-sama turned and walked back to the house. Haru looked down at the flowers in her hands. What did this mean? Was he in some way confessing his love for her or was she just the friendly maid in need of cheering up? What was she to him anyway?

She brought the blooms up to her nose and smiled. They smelled lovely. Nobody had ever given her flowers before and she wouldn't have accepted them from just anyone either. Her hope in life rekindled, she hummed happily to herself as she hung up the rest of the laundry and went to get Hibari-sama's meal ready. He would probably be grumpy when he came back. He usually was when it was "something urgent" that took a whole day to take care of.

Well, not even he could get her down tonight. She would do everything just right and ignore him completely if he did try to tease her.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Hibari came home and was met at the door by a stern-faced Akira. She had been this way since the day he had first met her. She had been a mother to him and an asset he couldn't afford to lose. Her efficiency at running a household was astounding to say the least. She seemed a little frayed around the edges though and even though she never had a hair out of place, it seemed to be coming free of its bun, though not very significantly. He was beginning to wonder if his eyes were deceiving him or if Mari-chan was raising hell in his absence.

Somehow, the thought of the little hellion had suddenly given him the urge to get back home. He never rushed though, as a rule, but he had been sorely tempted to break it that once. He nodded to the head maid and walked up to his room. She said nothing as a butler took his coat and followed him when he turned into the hallway.

"I hope you had a pleasant meeting," she said. He only nodded and continued walking. As she always had since he became master of the house, she relayed information about the running of the household, all the expenses to the last penny and what had been accomplished that day.

"And what of Mari?" he asked sitting in his study chair and watching the unflinching head maid. She was a little too perfect. Given the strictness of her governess back in England when she lived there as a girl, he was hardly surprised. It was one of the few things about her that he knew, but she didn't care to tell him and he didn't really care that much to know.

"She's downstairs getting your dinner ready, Hibari-sama." He felt a slight tug at the corners of his lips and picked up some papers scanning them.

"She was no trouble today then?"

"No more than usual. Perhaps you would like some tea before you begin your work? And will you be eating up here or downstairs with the masters?"

He looked up from his papers. So his brother and father were back from their trip, were they? He suddenly didn't feel much like socialising and the faint trace of a smile that had been on his face had completely disappeared. The sudden irritation was a bit of a surprise as well.

"No tea. Have Mari bring up my supper tonight. I am not to be disturbed otherwise."

"Yes sir," she said with a slight bow then she turned and headed for the door. Hibari watched her leave and sighed into his palm. He had been irritated at the meeting he had been in already. He had had to explain severally to the members of the council the importance of his new project in the middle of the city centre.

Well, mostly the council was made up of haughty snobs who wanted nothing more than to bask in their wealth and lord it over others. Any efforts he made to turn that around seemed to be going to waste even with the strength of his good name. He would just have to find another way to twist their arms then, the bastards...

He looked again at the contracts in his hands and set them aside intending to take a proper look at them with his lawyers in the morning. It was enough that he was annoyed, but now Mari had probably been fawning all over his brother again. He was no fool and he certainly wasn't blind. He had seen that look in a woman's eyes before...

A soft knock sounded from the door before it opened. Putting on what he deemed to be her best (or was it least hostile?) smile, she came in carrying a tray of food. She stopped in front of his desk, curtsied and waited.

He met her gaze and raised an eyebrow. She sighed and set the tray down then began to serve the meal. In absolute silence, she put everything together, set his plate before him as she had been instructed at least ten thousand times by Akira-san, and then stood beside him waiting for orders. He put down his papers finally and turned slightly in his chair to regard her as he rested his cheek against his fist.

"This is the fifth time this week you've been punished."

She said nothing and stood rigidly firm. Three days into the week and Akira had run her rugged with all her punishments. She could see why he was bringing it up. Here it came. She was going to be told how bad a servant she was and then have her salary cut in half or taken away completely. He didn't have to pay her after all since she had been paying for a crime. She was suddenly regretting the burst of courage the other day that had stemmed from the fact that she was tired and upset and so had talked back to Akira. Her day in the stables coupled with a full polish of the great hall had sobered her right up.

But of course all that would be mentioned to Hibari-sama. The ever mysterious, ever rigid Hibari-sama who got the maggot into his head that she was interested in him. She held herself together and waited for him to state his punishment. She would be grateful for only a small pay cut, but then again, he wouldn't be that nice, would he?

She heard his chair scrape back and then her chin was caught between his thumb and forefinger. He turned her face towards his and then she noticed the very satisfied look on his face. He was pleased, the cad!

"How so very interesting you are," he said. She met his gaze defiantly and said absolutely nothing though her hands did fist unconsciously at her sides. This would all be over soon. He couldn't try anything with her. He was too proud to let himself be caught in any sort of compromising situation with a mere servant.

Which was why when, a moment later, he kissed her lips, she had only gaped and wondered what on earth was wrong with him. She pushed him away and covered her lips in horror. That had been her first kiss! He didn't even have the decency to look sorry about it. He chuckled and that was it.

He sat back down and picked up his papers again then dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

"Stay out of trouble Mari-chan," he said and she could clearly hear the smugness in his voice. It took sheer will not to slam the door on her way out.


	12. Chapter 12

**Here is chapter 12. I have slaved over a hot computer to come up with it so I hope you like it but please let me know what you think? Comments, complaints, questions are all welcome as long as they are constructive. I will do my best to get the next chappie out as soon as possible. Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you might recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

In the morning, Haru woke up grumbling. She hadn't been able to sleep a wink all night and much as she tried to plead sickness, Akira-san wouldn't let her spend her day in bed. She was completely alert, however, by the time she got up to Hibari-sama's door with his breakfast.

She had not been able to get that kiss out of her mind at all. The whole night she had turned the air blue with what curses she knew and aptly heaped on his head. She had been saving that kiss for Takeshi-sama!

Of course that was impossible in itself, but even so! He had absolutely no right to play with her emotions like that. She shook her head and glared at the door one more time before calming herself and going into the dreaded room. She put the tray down and went to open the windows to let the morning air in.

Takeshi-sama was already up and practising in the garden below. Haru's lips turned up in a smile and she gave a little wistful sigh. His movements were as precise as ever. She leaned forward a bit meaning to get a better view before remembering where she was. The sooner she got this done with, the better it would be for her. She was on laundry duty again that morning and she wanted to be able to watch Takeshi-sama practise a little more.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back towards the bed which held the other occupant of that room. He was wide awake and staring at her, his features as calm as ever. He sat up and looked away from her. Clearing her throat and determined to prove to him (and herself, but mostly him) that he didn't affect her at all, she pasted another smile onto her face and went to the breakfast tray.

"Would you like your breakfast Hibari-sama? This morning's meal is..."

"Mari-chan?" he interrupted.

She looked at him expecting his order when she realised what it was he meant by calling her name. The smirk on his face said plenty already. He was teasing her. Well, two could play at that game.

"No sir, that's not on the menu," she said and poured his tea, "but we do have a lovely tea choice for today. Earl Gray straight from England, so says Akira-sa..."

"I don't want tea."

In a moment and before she could really think about it, he had pulled her forward onto the bed. She landed on him, her hands on his chest as she tried to brace herself against the fall. It took only a moment more for her to get her mind back in order and look up to give his ears a blistering like never before.

She didn't get very far with that plan. When she did look up, she met his softened gaze. It couldn't be, could it? He was all hard ice and cold contempt. Surely he was only doing this for his own benefit, to deceive her? Could someone fake a look like that? She didn't know. All she did know was that there was a loud thud reverberating in her ears. She vaguely recognised it as her heartbeat and wondered if he could hear it.

If he could, he would think he had won, wouldn't he? She gave one more futile effort to escape him and failed miserably. His arms were around her and holding her fast to him. She was getting irritated now. She defiantly held his gaze and spoke.

"Let me go."

He didn't react to that. Any displeasure he felt, he kept hidden. She wondered if he heard her at all. She found out why a moment later when he leaned in anyway and kissed her lips for the second time.

He had meant only to tease her. She was so easy to bait. When he had pulled her to him, he had known it was a bad idea. Just as he had known after he had kissed her the night before. When she had left the room, he found that he could hardly concentrate on his work and it was only through sheer stubbornness and will that he had gotten anything done.

Then he had met her gaze and he began to feel things he had never before felt. The women had come by the dozen. He had never given them a second thought. Many of those pretty faces had had nothing of much value to offer. When his gaze met her slightly startled brown one, he was lost. He had felt himself getting lost and didn't know how to stop. Still, he maintained a calm exterior. It was one of the things he was thankful for.

Then anger had flared behind those big brown eyes and he couldn't help himself. She really was a hell cat.

In that moment he made a decision. Then he leaned down to kiss her.

She had been stunned before, but this was just ridiculous! She pulled out of his grasp and backed away from him landing with a thud on the floor.

She picked herself up and glared at him.

"How dare you!" she said fisting her hands at her sides. Hibari didn't even look in her direction. Running a hand through his hair, he pushed aside the covers and got up. She took a step back ready to retaliate if he tried anything else.

"You are dismissed. Send Akira-san to me." he said simply and reached for the teapot to pour himself his tea. Seething with rage, she turned and marched out of the room. She would have slammed it behind her had she not remembered that Akira-san was working the upstairs shift that morning. She had chores to do. She would have to find a way to get away from that idiot. Two kisses he had stolen from her already! Two!

She slammed her fist into the wall pausing to try and regain her breath. The slight tremble in her limbs she blamed on her rage. It could really be nothing else. He was just playing dirty. Yes, that was it. He thought that he could seduce her and by doing so, he would win the bet he had decided on his own to initiate. She had not agreed to this!

Somehow, some way, she thought to herself, she was going to find a way to get away from him. Turning down the hall, she went in search of Akira-san.

Hibari walked to the window and looked down at his brother. Takeshi as usual. He wasn't really surprised. Mari's attraction to him was as plain as the nose on his face. Why that made him annoyed, he had barely understood. Until that morning. There was the possibility that he was taking things too seriously. She _**was**_ a servant after all and a criminal moreover.

He had only meant to tease her. She had awakened something in him he didn't recognise and didn't particularly like. Perhaps a change of pace was in order. It irritated him that he could no longer function around her without wanting to...

He shut his eyes and turned from the window dismissing the annoying thought. He had work to do. When Akira-san arrived, he would tell her his new arrangements and maybe then he could get his life in order a little more.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"What do you know?"

The boy with the shaggy brown hair grinned at Basco and gave what information he had. Hime watched the meeting quietly from her place beside Basco. She didn't like the devious gleam in his eyes. It always meant that he was up to no good. As of now, she could assume that he had a wicked plan in mind for Haru-chan.

She was right.

"That will be a little harder, but no matter. As long as she's careful, we could have ourselves a fortune!"

"But what if she decides that she's going to tell her boss what she's up to?"

"She won't. We have the one thing in the world she wants more than anything..."

He didn't elaborate or say any more but he didn't have to. Hime understood what he meant. The one thing that was most important to Haru was Fuuta. As long as they had him, everything would fall right into place. She held her peace. For now, she would have to just wait and watch. Basco could be crafty if he wanted to and if she wasn't careful herself, she would be thrown out of the pack which wasn't an option.

"What we do need, is a way to get into that house. That's where Hime-chan comes in," he said finally turning his attention to her, "you have to infiltrate the house and find a clean way to get in and out. The rest will be up to me and the boys, you got it?"

Hime-chan nodded. It was better to comply for now. She would figure out a way to get Fuuta away from Basco somehow. It had to be somewhere Basco couldn't reach but somewhere she could be assured he was safe. Beyond that, she could simply say nothing and blame it on him trying to be brave. Much as she hated what Basco had turned into over the years she had known him, she needed the pack.

She hated that she did.

She had already been given her instructions and dismissed. Basco would be looking for Fuuta in a little while. She had to get to him first and there was really nothing Hime-chan couldn't do when it came to that. She smiled to herself. At least she would have made Haru-chan happy. By that time the next evening, Fuuta would be safe and happy and Basco would have nothing to trade for to blackmail Haru. She knew just where to send Fuuta too.

All she needed now was for her plan to work.


	13. Chapter 13

**So this chapter has given me a real headache trying to sort it out, but now that I have something to go with, things should move pretty smoothly. I hope you enjoy it and look out for the next chapter hopefully really soon.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

Fuuta made his way across town slowly and carefully. The authorities, though not generally bothered, tended not to trust kids like him in case, just like him, they were in packs that caused all sorts of mischief. He might even be caught for looking at an apple one moment too long.

A left turn at the river brought him to the cobblestone road that led to the wealthy neighbourhood. Somewhere in there, Haru was probably being put to work and tortured in other horrible ways. She was probably more miserable than he could even imagine. Clenching his fist, he made up his mind. It was no time to feel scared.

He ducked into the neighbourhood hiding behind a tall hedge and avoiding all the soldiers. Hime-chan had warned him about this, but he knew the perfect way to hide when it came to that. Hime-chan had even told him that he had improved a lot more than before. She never gave that kind of praise lightly. He peered around a corner and saw the gate of the estate. He was there now. The hardest part would be getting in but once he did that, he was sure he would be able to find his way back out eventually.

Before he could begin making his way into the compound, the gate was opened and a man came out. He was unaccompanied but he wore very fancy clothes. There was little doubt that he held a very high position in the household, probably a senior butler or even one of the masters? But would they really go unaccompanied? No matter. He waited until the man was a ways away then made his way to the wall. Climbing it wouldn't be that hard...

Hibari had decided that he would walk that morning. He needed to clear his head which was currently filled with thoughts of a certain fiery doe-eyed maid in the house. It was a lovely morning besides. He could afford a leisurely stroll.

He hadn't gotten very far before he bumped into a young girl, probably thirteen or so. She met his gaze head on, something which had never happened before but before he could ask her anything, she pointed to a scruffy little boy making his way steadily up the ten foot wall using the vines and no doubt some expertise. Puzzled as to why the girl would be in the neighbourhood let alone pointing out an intruder, he turned back to her but she was gone.

No matter. He might as well deal with the little one and then find time for his walk in the neighbourhood. He wondered though if he possibly knew Mari-chan. That would raise a lot of questions, but that would mean that they were in pretty much the same position so he could as well decide whether to take him in or not.

Mari-chan...

Pushing the thought aside, he walked calmly up to the struggling boy and cleared his throat. The boy lost his footing and slipped falling down on his bum. He seemed stunned and then looked up at Hibari first with alarm then with fear. He had been up to no good then. Hibari leaned down and picked the boy up by his collar. By the look, and smell of him, he had been out in the streets long enough.

"What do you want from here?" he asked. There was no mistaking the menacing look in his grey eyes. Child or no child, anyone who trespassed was to be punished. There was no underestimating criminals after all. The boy said nothing.

Deciding he had had enough and not really wanting to bother himself with further effort when he didn't have to deal with this immediately. He would leave the boy locked up and maybe have Takeshi keep watch over him while he went for his walk. The boy fought as best as he could but not for long. It didn't really take a genius to figure out which of them was stronger and, realising this, the child stopped resisting and followed him obediently albeit reluctantly to the house.

"Young master, you have returned early. Whatever..." began Akira-san until she saw the scruffy little boy beside Hibari. He handed the child over to the nearest servant and turned to the housekeeper.

"We have a guest, Akira-san. Please take him to the guest room at the top of the left stairway and make sure he's taken care of. Where is Takeshi-sama?"

"The young master is still training in the gardens sir. Would you like me to get him as well?" Hibari nodded and turned to head to his study.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Three maids came into the room that Fuuta had been put in and one by one they began fussing with him. One was running a bath and the other brought in a tray of food. The third one asked to take his clothes and laid a new set of expensive looking clothes on the large bed.

He had no idea what to make of it. Had the food been poisoned? Would he never find Haru-chan in this large house before it was too late? There had to be some special reason as to why the master of the house was being so nice to him and he doubted that it was out of the goodness of his heart...

The maids left and he walked cautiously up to the tray of food. He poked at the apple and the grapes wondering if it was really okay to have some. He was about to pluck one of the grapes from the bunch when the door opened again and in walked a tall man. He seemed to be a little younger than the master but he must have been maybe Haru-chan's age or slightly older. His smile was kind though so Fuuta decided maybe he wasn't so bad.

"Ah, so you are our new guest. I'm pleased to meet you," he said with a bow. Fuuta backed away from the food and at on the bed. He wasn't sure he had ever known such comfort in his life! If his stomach didn't growl in that second, he might not have seemed nearly so helpless.

"Ah, I see they brought you some fruit. Would you like some? It's really good." To prove his point, Yamamoto took a couple of grapes and popped them into his mouth. Fuuta jumped off the bed and walked as proudly as he could to the fruit. If the nobles could eat it calmly, then he probably had nothing to fear.

"Do you have a name?" asked Yamamoto looking down at the child. Fuuta blinked up at him wondering whether he should tell. For as long as he remembered, he had used fake names when asked that question. He had never really known his name and wasn't even sure Fuuta was even his real name, but it was what Haru-chan called him so he settled for that.

"Fu... Fuuta."

Yamamoto smiled and patted the boy's head. At least they were making headway. He had always been pretty good with children but he hadn't quite been sure how to handle a child as old as Fuuta was. He was pleased to find that it wasn't really that much of a difference.

"Now, I have another question for you, will you answer it for me? No lies? I promise I won't harm you or tell anyone who you don't want to know..."

Fuuta nodded.

"Why did you come here?"

Fuuta didn't reply but took a bite of the apple in his hands. Somehow, he wasn't sure if he could answer that particular question no matter how good this man seemed to be.

"Well, it's not important," said Yamamoto touching Fuuta's head, "enjoy your meal. I'll come back and see you later."

A moment later, Fuuta was alone again in the room. He had no idea what to do now. His first thoughts had been of escape but it would be a little too peculiar for the master's 'guest' to be crawling out of a window and running for all the world as if he had just escaped hell. Besides, he hadn't seen Haru yet and he had no idea how to get out again.

"The first thing to do when you get stuck is to watch and wait..."

Hime-chan had gotten out of enough scrapes, some by barely a hair's breadth, but she always escaped. That one piece of advice from her would come in very handy. Speaking of Hime-chan, he wondered if she knew that he had been captured.

He put down his apple and looked around and wondered where Haru-chan was and if he would ever be able to find her. The little bit of the house he had seen was a maze of corridors. Maybe of he managed to make a signal of some sort, Haru-chan might be able to find him. But then what? The first master had been nice enough to give him this room to stay in but he wasn't sure how long that kindness would hold out for.

Besides, he was being too nice and, from past experience, that was never a good sign. The door opened behind him again and as he turned, he saw the last person he had expected to see.

"Haru-chan!"


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi everyone... *bows low* Gomennasai! I'm so sorry for putting this story on a very long hiatus. I had sincerely run out of things to write! I must be getting old -.-**

**Anyway, here is the next chapter of Princess of Rogues which I hope to finish as soon as I can. I will try to update as fast as I can so I don't disappoint all of you more than I already have. The story should be firmly back on track now so look out for the next chapter soon. I promise. Please let me know what you think about this one? Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and the OCs.**

Fuuta was definitely the last person Haru had expected to see in the room. The boy launched himself at her making her take two steps backwards into the hallway where anyone could see them. She was happy to see him, but not very pleased at the circumstances of their meeting. She had been called by Akira-chan (saved from her chores more like) and been assigned to the new guest upstairs. She had no idea who she would be dealing with but as long as she didn't have to wait on Hibari-sama, she didn't really mind.

Haru touched his face and rubbed a smudge off his cheek with her apron in typical Haru fashion. She had always looked out for him and taken care of him. He made a face and pushed her hands away.

"I'm not a baby," he said laughing.

"No, you're not," she replied smiling back.

"But how are you here? What happened and where are Basco and the others?" Fuuta looked down slowly then away from her.

"Hime-chan said she needed to talk to you so I had to come and see you since Basco wouldn't let her leave. She said to tell you that Basco is up to no good."

Coming from Hime-chan who had known that for a long time, almost as long as Haru had, it was a warning. Something big was going down. Something that could potentially harm her even if she was no longer with the pack.

"Did she say anything else?"

"Nothing else. She did call me little peach though. She's never said anything like that." Haru smiled and hugged him.

"Well, let's get you showered and dressed before the masters come up looking for you. Tonight, you'll eat all you want."

"Really? I wonder why?"

Haru merely smiled in reply. Little Peach. Fuuta was in danger. Hime-chan had sent him here for protection. It was definitely a warning.

Basco had been involved in a few shady businesses that Haru knew nothing about. She'd only heard rumours. In the end, the pack got fed and protected but it didn't make Haru feel any better. The only one who would know was Hime-chan and even she had her limits as to how much she could share. If Basco caught her tattling, that would be the end of it. Loyalty to the pack leader came before anything and everything else.

What exactly did Basco want with her?

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Fuuta was assigned the guest room right across from Hibari's which was not as grand, but much bigger than Haru's. She had turned down the beddings and changed the curtains then made sure all the new clothes Fuuta was given were arranged in the drawers of the dresser.

"This bed is so comfortable! It must be nice to be really rich, nee Ha... Mari-san?" He was still getting used to her new name, but he understood why she'd had to change it in the first place.

"I suppose it is," Haru said with a smile, "Go to sleep. I'll bring you your breakfast tomorrow."

"Wow, real food again?" Haru nodded and tucked him in. Fuuta must have been more tired than he let on. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light. Haru patted his head and left the room blowing out the candles.

She was a little worried that Hibari-sama was the one who had suggested that Fuuta be treated as a guest. He was up to something and she had no idea what it was. She turned around to leave when she looked up and saw Hibari himself about to enter his room.

"Good evening sir," she said bowing her head slightly.

"Hnnn," he replied and went into his room. Was it just her or was he acting a little strange? He had been so insistent that she be his personal maid and now he barely spared her a glance. Oh well, if that was how he wanted it, so it would be. She walked back to her room to change for bed. She had to get up early the next morning.

As she changed out of her clothes, her mind drifted back to the warning that she had been given. Little Peach. No Good. Basco must be dealing in something heavy. Heavy seemed to be Hibari-sama's line of duty. It would be thoroughly stupid of him to try and get into the house since that seemed to be the case... unless his plan involved Hibari-sama in some way.

Haru picked up her new brush and brushed her hair. She had only ever had one hair brush in her life and that was provided for by the sisters at the convent. This one she had bought partly out of nostalgia for that brush and partly out of pride at the fact that she had a salary now and actually _**could**_ buy a brush for herself.

There was nothing she could really do without more information. She would just have to wait and see what happened now.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"What!" roared Basco looking scarier than he had ever been. "How could that little brat get away from us like that? He must have had help. Who helped him?"

Everyone in the room looked at each other. Whomever is was was going to be in a lot of trouble and Basco was good at making sure of that. The last person who had crossed him had been kicked out of the pack and not been heard from since.

Basco took a deep sigh and sat back down.

"No matter. There is still a plan B. Our plan will still work. Stay sharp boys. If this works out, we'll be living like kings!" This announcement was followed by shouts of approval from all around the room. Hime-chan had already slipped out. She always did that at the end of the meeting. Basco trusted her the most since she never had much to say and always got the job done no matter what it was. He turned back to his celebrating pack members and joined in.

Soon their plan would work and that would be the end of all their troubles.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 down and looking forward to this story being updated more often. I hope you guys like this chapter. Please let me know what you think either way? Many, many thanks to all my readers for putting up with me! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

There would be no end to these chores if Akira-san kept up her assault. Haru had already done enough work. She was getting used to it she supposed, but it was still a lot. It was good enough that she had been rewarded by getting to watch Takeshi-sama practice in the morning and it seemed that she had been relieved of having to wait on Hibari-sama hand and foot.

Fuuta had been taken out by Takeshi-sama after breakfast, Lord only knew why. Then halfway through her chores, Akira-san had called her and told her to report to Hibari-sama's private study. Haru groaned inwardly. She had spoken too soon. With any luck, she could have avoided him for the rest of the month. With her luck, it was no wonder he was summoning her all of a sudden... Maybe he was transferring her?

For some unknown reason, after the second kiss he had stolen from her, he'd been in a proper mood. Even Mika-chan, Takeshi's maid and Momoka-san, the nice maid she had met before, had noticed. Momoka had been assigned to Hibari-sama and she always wondered aloud to Haru how anyone could get along with him.

And now he was summoning her. It wasn't the end of the month yet so maybe she was in trouble again for something. She couldn't remember being punished recently and she had done everything Akira-san had asked her without complaining. She had no idea what it could be.

When they got to the study, Hibari-sama dismissed Akira-san. The head maid walked out and Haru felt very unprotected. With Akira-san there, Hibari was unlikely to do something untoward like maybe kiss her again. She wouldn't give him the chance though.

It gave her at least some hope that he didn't move out of his chair. He looked up from the papers he was signing and leaned back in his chair.

"I hear you have been taking good care of my guest," he said evenly.

"I have done everything I have been asked to do sir."

"So I have been told," he said leaning forward, "and you seem to know each other quite well."

She wondered what he was getting at but nodded cautiously.

"I thought you might. He seemed to be much better after I assigned you to him."

So that had been his plan. But now he knew that Fuuta and Haru knew each other. What was he going to do now?

"I caught him trespassing here. To be fair, I thought to punish him. Knowing him as well as you do, how do you propose I go about that?"

The colour suddenly drained from Haru's face. The look on his face was not the one he had used to tease her. It was the expression she had dreaded and hated since she had first met him. He meant business this time. Fuuta would be punished for trying to trespass on private property – the wrong private property. It was probably going to be moot point trying to persuade him not to punish Fuuta at all. It would be better if she tried her plan B.

"I... I'll take his place." She had fisted her hands in determination. She had been taking care of Fuuta and protecting him from such harm as Hibari could probably do to him was part of that. She would tell him off for trespassing, but he would certainly receive no more punishment as long as she lived and breathed.

Hibari raised and eyebrow and regarded the maid before him. Mari-chan had been more trouble than she was worth. It seemed that she had her own honour system however and was willing to take the punishment of the child. He had not been meaning to give him a heavy and unfair punishment but this was a new side of Mari-chan that he had never seen before and found he rather liked.

"Even if the punishment was a flogging?" he asked. Haru froze for a second. She had seen a man being flogged once and she had very nearly fainted. The whip that had been used had taken the skin from his back and he had bled even as the guards punishing him had continued mercilessly, seemingly mad with the pleasure of hearing him in agony. It had been horrible.

Hibari had to be a monster to propose such a punishment for a mere child. She would rather die than let Fuuta have to suffer such horrors in his young life. She looked up and met his gaze head on, determined to show him she would not cower. Her voice came out stronger than she had imagined it would.

"Even if the punishment was death."

He smiled then and looked down at his papers again. He rang the bell beside him and Akira-san walked back inside the room and bowed her head.

"I would like some new arrangements to be made to the staff. We will be having a new member working with us starting tomorrow. Perhaps as a messenger or as Takeshi-sama's valet if he prefers. Go and see to it now."

"Yes sir," she said and left the room. Haru blinked. What had he just said? This time he really did get up out of his chair. He walked around his table and Haru stood rooted to the spot.

"Whatever you may think of me, Mari-chan, I am no monster. Have you ever seen a man being flogged?"

She swallowed and nodded slowly, relief rushing through her and turning her muscles to mush. She nearly crumpled to the floor with the weight of it but found herself being held up by a strong and sure pair of arms. Hibari led her to the seat two feet from where she had stood and let her regain some of her strength. Immediately she sat down, Hibari held his hands behind his back again.

"He will be cared for by this household from today onwards until both your sentences are lifted. Stay here until you feel well enough to leave then resume your duties," he said heading towards the door, "and I would like my supper in the study promptly at eight."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru had sat quietly in the study for a long time. She hadn't realised the physical strength she would require to make such a bold statement in preparation for taking Fuuta's place. It was true that she would see him come to no harm if she had to take his punishment for him.

Fuuta was important to her and she would most certainly protect him with her life if need be. He was still young and hadn't seen a lot of bad things although he had seen more than a child his age should. She had taken most of that brunt for him and in his own way, he was grateful for it.

She took several deep breaths before she could properly calm down and attempt to stand again. She had been surprised at Hibari-sama's words. When he had kept her from falling, she had been even more surprised.

She shook herself twice and slapped her cheeks.

No matter what, she had to recover as quickly as possible. Hibari-sama would be expecting his supper at eight in the study and she had to go and let Momoka-san know. He was probably expecting her to serve him again. She had absolutely no idea what was going through his mind, or why, after being so determined, he would suddenly ignore her altogether and then change his mind about that too.

What Haru found most puzzling was the calming relief she felt at realising that she would be his personal maid again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Getting through my writer's block, thankfully and this is what I came up with. I know it's late and I apologise to all my fans. None of you commented on the last two chapters so I don't know how you guys feel about them, but here's a new chapter. Please let me know what you think? Thank you again!**

**DISCLAIMER: I neither own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

"Did you get what the boss asked for?" The cloaked figure stood in the shadows regarding the scruffy urchin in distaste. They started out real young. It wasn't that he didn't start out that young himself, it was just a little… sad. He knew well how these things worked. You did the job or you went to beg or you went to steal. Money was tight and the times were not kind to the poor. It was a terrible existence, but one had to survive any way he could.

"Yeah, I left them in the warehouse three houses over. Where's the stash?"

"You'll get it when you do, kid. Watch yourself."

With that, the figure disappeared back down the alley. Basco grinned. He wondered what the "boss" wanted with five kids but that was none of his business. Nobody just up and left his pack without his permission and they had whatever punishment was coming to them. The most likely case was that they would be sold as slaves in another country – one that allowed it that was.

One thing was bothering him though. What he wanted to know now was where that little runt of Haru's had got to. Not two days after hatching a plan to get Haru to help them steal some food, the kid had gone missing. He couldn't tell which one of his pack-mates had helped him either. They'd been trained in the art of lying so they did it a little too well.

No matter. Haru had still helped him out a bit in the past and she was now living in the house of one of the most stuck-up ministers there ever were. Hatching a brilliant plan, he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked down the street then turned off at the alley. Wouldn't his pack-mates be pleased! If that "boss" guy kept his end of the bargain, they would be eating like kings!

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru lay back on her bed and sighed. It had been a very long day that had played pure havoc on her nerves. First was the conversation that she'd had with Hibari-sama. He had assured her that he was not a monster and she sort of understood that.

He wasn't cruel as far as she knew - maybe harsh, but never unfair. Fuuta had come back and been told what his new job was. He seemed actually proud to be depended on like that. Maybe, like her, he was tired of stealing and going around doing things that could potentially get him into trouble. He'd smiled brighter than she'd ever seen him smile when he had received his uniform.

Things were starting to look up for them but Basco still worried her. Hime-chan wouldn't randomly send Fuuta here if nothing was up. What exactly had Basco gotten himself into now? He had always gotten into shady dealings with people who could provide for the pack, but in the end, he was putting everyone in danger. But if it was a problem that big, it could possibly cause trouble for her and Fuuta – them especially since they were in the residence of a very high-ranking official.

If it came down to it, would he… would they protect her and Fuuta? She knew that she would probably be seen as an accomplice to whatever crimes Basco had committed. That meant that Hibari-sama had to be fair in his judgement of them both. Takeshi-sama would probably be disappointed in her. It was probably for the better. That love would never have worked out would it?

Haru sighed sadly and rolled on to her side. There was absolutely no way of knowing what would happen. She simply had to keep her and Fuuta alive and if that meant lying to Hibari-sama then so be it.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Hibari stood on his balcony looking out at the brilliant night sky. It had been a while since he'd had a moment to himself and wasn't so exhausted that he would immediately drop off to sleep. He hadn't enjoyed a view like this is very long either. He'd had to work most nights or attend some gathering or other when all he would rather do was sit quietly in his study with his book.

At least his books never asked him why he wasn't married yet. It wasn't uncommon for it to happen, but being as important as he was meant certain social rules applied to him more than other people, say that idiot Mukuro and his sister. To that effect, at every single gathering he'd attended since he'd come of age, daughters and nieces of all shapes and sizes had been paraded in front of him or had flocked around him although he hated crowding.

He got irritated just thinking about it.

None of them had interested him in the least and those with more than three brain cells between their ears were way too smart. Those ones were after his money and he knew it. He had no use for a greedy wife. If she had no care at all for the ideals he stood for, then he had no use for her.

She would just be a mere decoration and his house already had plenty of that.

"_**Even if the punishment were death..."**_

He had been surprised at the fire in those eyes. She was determined to protect the urchin to her last breath. He had not seen defensiveness of that calibre since his mother. He'd had a decent childhood but he was quiet and reserved. As such, he was never popular with the other children, but he didn't care about that. He had been too focused on someday continuing his father's work.

Then he'd been insulted at one of the dinners that had been held one evening. The offending mother that had pointed out his lack of social skills ended up on the wrong end of his mother's retaliation. She had grabbed his hand and stormed out of there and not returned once. The lady in question had been in utter shock. When they had gotten back, his father had laughed hearing the news.

Hibari had been confused at that. As far as he knew, they had just broken a lot of social rules so why was his father not upset with his mother? Seeing the obvious confusion on his face, his father had sat him down and explained.

Being in the right in society didn't matter so much. Society would change and they would forget. What would not be forgotten was the fact that his mother had stood up for him that night and that he learned to protect those that were important to him from the fickle and ever-changing society.

And his father had been right. He'd never forgotten his mother's actions and it warmed him to think that she loved him so much she would disgrace herself like that. She was scorned for the next few weeks until it was discovered that the daughter of the woman who insulted her was with-child and unmarried. It shifted attention from her previous faux-pas and that was the end of it.

Mari and his mother shared a good many traits. The burning determination in their eyes was rather similar, their instinct to protect even more so. And Mari had witnessed a flogging so she knew what was in store for her if she took that upon herself. No wonder she had gone pale when he'd mentioned it.

She was a strange one. She made him feel things he didn't welcome. She made him do things he didn't want to. He'd kissed her three times now and she was none the wiser.

It should have been simple. He was the master and she was the maid – and a criminal to add onto all that. But when he kissed her that third time, he knew that something was wrong with him. He knew he looked at her differently and should probably not have done that, but he had and now…

Now he wanted her for himself.

And why not, he thought to himself. She had all the qualities he was looking for in a wife. She had to be one or two years his junior meaning she was of marrying age. She was rather lovely when it came down to it and she was untouched. No woman he knew reacted that way unless they'd had their first kiss stolen.

The one thing she had that he didn't like was affection for his brother. She would forget about that soon enough and then she would be his.

He smirked and went back into his room feeling a lot lighter than before.

"Let the games begin, Mari-san."


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, I believe I'm now making headway. One more term paper and I'll be free to type up my stories as much as I want again. I hope to get chapter 18 out by the end of this week so fingers crossed. Please let me know what you think about this one? Many thanks! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I neither own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and the OCs and nothing else.**

Haru held the breakfast tray in her hand and paused by the door. It had been three days since she had been reassigned to being Hibari-sama's maid and something was a little off. She had spilled wine twice and once the soup on purpose to test him and he had said nothing. She wondered what that could possibly mean.

Until he told her she supposed she would have to be a little more careful.

She knocked twice and opened the door like she always did and set the tray on table beside Hibari-sama's bed. She would have gone to open the curtains if his hand hadn't suddenly shot out and clamped on hers. She only had a moment to react before she was pulled onto the bed and she landed right next to the still sleeping Hibari-sama.

His breathing hadn't changed much so she wondered what was happening. His hand was still firmly around her wrist. His arm moved around her and pulled her close to him. She held her breath. What on earth was he doing? He didn't seem to be awake so maybe she should wake him up?

But then he would probably tease her about not being able to resist him, the arrogant clod. She tried getting away from him, but he drew her even closer, stirred a little then settled down again. She felt her heart beat faster. It was probably because he had surprised her. Not to mention that it was a very embarrassing position to be in.

"Don't leave," he muttered.

"Hi… Hibari-sama…?"

He finally opened his eyes and looked at her as if it was a very normal thing to be waking up with your maid lying right next to you. He calmly released her and she scrambled off the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked a little annoyed at him.

"Did I do something odd? I apologise."

Now that was a surprise. He never apologised. All the fight went out of her and she blinked in confusion.

"What's wrong with you?"

Hibari-sama looked at her and cocked his head to the side in a rather endearing way. She caught herself thinking that she would like to push some of that wayward hair out of his eyes and that he didn't look half bad anyway.

"What do you mean?"

"You're being too nice. I don't like it."

"No? Should I be cruel then? Will that make you happy Mari-san?"

Haru glared at him and resolutely turned to the breakfast tray.

"Shall I pour your tea sir? This morning we have a gentle blend of cinnamon, vanilla, thyme and rosehip."

"I would much rather you told me what you want me to do," he replied and stopped himself before adding that she could ask him for anything. "Shall I be cruel or shall I continue to be kind?"

"For now I would like to know if you would like your breakfast now."

"No. I'm hungry for something else."

He gave her a meaningful look as he said that. She found herself losing her confidence under that gaze. Her face got a little hotter and she felt her heart begin to beat faster again. She had a feeling he knew exactly what it was he was hungry for.

"Run my bath. I have to leave soon." The spell was broken immediately.

"Right away, Hibari-sama," she said forcing a smile and half sprinted towards the bathroom closing the door firmly behind her. Hibari smirked. She may have been rebellious and outspoken but she was still a woman after all.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru was sent out into town alone with a couple of guards. Akira-san had decided that she could do it on her own now. Haru thought that maybe the older maid just didn't want to look foolish. At least there were no more chains on her. That meant that she was trusted now.

Two months before, she would have taken her first chance and bolted. She still would have now if Fuuta hadn't been sent to her. She needed to keep him safe and what safer place to stay than Hibari-sama's house? Basco wasn't stupid enough to try to get them himself and besides, once someone left the pack, they never, ever, ever went back.

She looked about her as she walked. Perhaps it was her old habits kicking in again, but one could never be too careful. She had been given more than enough money to get the groceries necessary for breakfast the next day.

As she made her way through the market with the guards not far off, she caught a movement in the corner of her eye. She was smart enough not to turn her head. The guards would have noticed Hime-chan ducking behind a stall.

Haru turned to the nearest stall and asked to see some of the figs hey had there. There were plenty of fruit and vegetable choices at the mansion, but every so often, there was a need for something extra. The figs were top on her list. She smiled kindly at the shopkeeper and he started showing her which figs were the best for her masters' table. It seemed he knew exactly who her masters were.

That didn't concern her as much as the fact that Hime-chan had given her a surreptitious sign to get out of there as fast as she could. That was a bad thing. It probably meant Basco was close by. It would be trouble if the guards were alerted of his presence. They wouldn't sit idly by either but Basco was never to be underestimated. She nodded at the shopkeeper sending Hime-chan her thanks and turning back.

She could always find something to tell Akira-san. She would probably be punished again for it too, but that was a minor problem compared to what she would go through in Basco's hands. She looked over her shoulder once and sighed. She had so wanted to enjoy her day off. She finally got the chance to get out of that house for once and now she had to go back much sooner than expected.

She turned back again and met face to face with a wide grin.

"Very nice muscle you have there." Haru glared at Basco and clutched her basket tighter as he spoke again, "leaving so soon? I would think you would at least stop to say hello."

"I have to go now."

"You can't even stop for an old friend? Hm, you've changed a lot. Give a potato-sack a flower and it begins to think it's a silk pillow, huh?"

He laughed at his own analogy. The guards at her sides were primed for action should this urchin decide to do anything.

"We must leave," murmured one of them to Haru.

"We need to talk," said Basco suddenly, all humour gone from his voice. Haru felt herself begin to tremble. She had seen that look in his eyes before. It meant he was very serious. Moreover, he had taken down grown men before. She had been there to witness it and she'd been wary of him ever since. He wasn't a pack-leader for nothing. These two guards wouldn't stand a chance.

"It's okay. I'll only be a minute and then we'll head back right away," she said to the guards. They nodded curtly and waited to the side while Basco took her aside.

"Smart girl, I guess they're treating you real good up at that rich house then, hmm?"

"What do you want Basco? I know you didn't drag me aside to ask me that."

"You know me well enough Haru. I want what's in that house and you're going to help me get it."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, the usual; money, food… They must have so much that they don't know what to do with it, but fortunately for those snobs, I do."

"I'm not going to do it."

"No?"

Haru paused. He looked a little too smug for his own good. He took a menacing step forward and it was all she could do not to take a step back. She had to stay put or things would get ugly.

"Still very smart… I always liked that about you Haru. And that tongue of yours is going to get you in hot water some day you know. Today, however, you have no choice…"

Haru's eyes widened when Basco told her what he had planned. The colour drained from her face and her trembling got worse. She clutched the handle of the basked a little tighter to try to calm her rioting nerves.

"Don't forget, I'll be watching you," he said with one last smirk and then he disappeared in the crowds. Haru took several deep breaths then turned back to the guards with a smile. She assured them everything was fine then she got into the carriage and they headed home with her shopping incomplete.

Akira-san's anger was the very last thing on Haru's mind. Basco really was the devil, she thought with a slight frown.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey everyone! This is a week late but I got it done and I really hope you like it. I've put a lot into it though it's slowing down in some areas… I think. Please let me know what you think? Many, many, many thanks to all my fans. I'm glad to see you're still supporting the story and I'll update soon!**

**DISCLAIMER: I neither own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

As expected, Haru got a good scolding from Akira-san. She didn't think much of it though. Basco was turning out to be a much bigger problem than she thought. Why should she do what he asks anyway?

But then again, she had learned long ago never to underestimate him. Hime-chan knew his dealings well and had tried to warn her. At this rate she should have stayed at the convent. She would have become a nun by now and not had to worry about Basco and his underhandedness… But she would also never have met Fuuta. She would never have met Takeshi-sama either.

She sighed as she dragged the fifth basket of laundry outside. She would rather suffer a hundred times than never have met with Takeshi-sama. She sighed again wistfully and pulled up her sleeves. She had three more baskets of laundry to do and then she had to serve Hibari-sama his supper.

She had somehow made it through breakfast and he had been out for lunch so she didn't have to see him then. She had been mostly preoccupied with what she was going to do about Basco so her work didn't seem like very much.

Akira-san watched Haru from a distance. In the time she had known the girl, she had never known her to willingly submit to punishment or do her work without even a little bit of complaint. Haru hadn't even put up a fight when Akira-san had made her wake up at four in the morning to help fetch the eggs from the chicken coop.

She must have been exhausted by now… But she did look occupied. Perhaps something happened in the market? She would have to ask the guards about it and for now, she would have to keep a close eye on her. Whatever was going on, she would get to the bottom of it very soon.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"You're spilling the tea."

Haru blinked and looked at Hibari-sama and then at the mess she was making around the tea-cup. She snapped out of her daydream and put down the teapot grabbing a cloth to wipe up the mess.

"My apologies," she said quietly. Hibari watched her as he leaned back in his chair. Suddenly she had turned nice as well… too nice. He caught her wrist and she stopped dabbing at the liquid. He smirked and yanked on her wrist causing her to lose her balance and fall right into his lap.

She made an indignant noise and scrambled to get up off his lap, her face the very definition of fury. Now there was the Mari-san he had come to know.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?"

"You said you didn't like me being nice. Isn't this better then?" he asked standing and taking a step towards her. She took a step back then thought better of it and stood her ground. He took an experimental step forward and though she stiffened a little, she didn't retreat any more. She had no idea how very appealing she looked right then.

He stopped right in front of her and her fiery gaze met his. She wasn't going to lose to him. Well, at least not yet.

"Will you answer me or shall I kiss it out of you?" She coloured immediately at his words but didn't look away for a second.

"You're despicable." He chuckled. He had been called many things in his life, but despicable was not one of them.

He turned and returned to his seat satisfied for now. If he didn't stop himself, besides, he just might make good on his threat and kiss her senseless. He wasn't sure how she would take that (probably not very well) but he could only imagine what her soft lips would look like after a thorough kissing.

"That will be enough for tonight, Mari-san. You may leave."

He picked up his documents again dismissing her completely. Haru held back the urge to stomp her foot and took the tray as she headed out. Hibari looked at the closed door a moment longer than necessary before turning back to his documents. She had been preoccupied this evening. He wondered what it could possibly be.

She wasn't smiling in that stupid manner so it wasn't his brother she was thinking about. Well, as long as it didn't interfere with her work, it didn't matter. Perhaps he should probe further…

The thought had some merit.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Haru-nee! Haru-nee!"

Fuuta burst into her room looking all excited and carrying a small bag. From the jangle it made as he ran, she could tell he'd been paid for the very first time. He deserved it after all. He'd been doing a good job lately.

"Shhh! someone might hear you!" she said clamping a hand over his mouth. She peeked into the hallway and, seeing no one there, shut the door behind them and sighed with relief.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting." Haru smiled and went over to sit on the bed patting the spot beside her. Fuuta scrambled up next to her and showed her his bag.

"Takeshi-sama gave me money today! He said I can buy whatever I want with it! Isn't he nice?" Haru smiled and ruffled his hair. At least he was taking this well. Since he had been brought to the house, he hadn't talked about escaping once. That must have been due to Takeshi-sama. He had decided to take in the little guy and had been hanging around him ever since teaching him to fight with his very own wooden sword, simple sums and even a new language.

"Yes he is."

"Nee, Haru-nee…"

"Mari, Fuuta. You have to call me Mari-nee now."

"Sorry, Mari-nee, can we… can we stay here forever?"

"I don't… I don't know."

Fuuta looked down at his shiny new coins deep in thought for a moment.

"Then can we… can we stay here for a long time?"

"Maybe. Do you like it here?"

His blonde curls shook as he nodded vigorously.

"I love it here. I have food and I get to play. Takeshi-sama is nice to me and Ha… Mari-nee is here too."

Haru smiled and drew him into her arms. He was still so young when she had found him abandoned in that alley. She had brought him into the pack and given him food and shelter then too as much as she could. He had grown up well although he had also learned things no child should probably ever learn. She could only protect him so much anyway.

She kissed his forehead now. He was more or less her responsibility and she had to make sure he stayed safe.

"I'm glad you're happy," she said. He made a face after she kissed his forehead and she laughed as he left the room in a hurry with a bright red blush on his face.

Her face fell a moment later as Haru slipped back into her thoughts. Being here was putting her at a disadvantage. The law was the law. It had to be upheld. She had helped Basco a couple of times in the past and, realising that he may not be as straight as she had originally thought, she had refused to do any more for him.

She had been an accomplice though so she was liable to be punished as well for whatever crime he had committed in the process. If she told anyone, she would go down too. They had all seen it happen countless times. And now she was in the house of the one person who upheld the law more than anyone else. Basco had planned to blackmail her. He also surmised that Fuuta was at the house as well. Just so he sealed the deal, he added one more thing before he disappeared in the marketplace that day.

"_**It would be rather easy to make one little boy disappear, don't you think?"**_

The devil incarnate, that's what that bastard was. And if Haru didn't make good on her part of the bargain and somehow get at least one sack of food out to Basco and his pack mates, she knew he would make good on his threat. If he got caught with money, which was the alternative, she would be in very hot soup herself so it was a lose-lose situation either way you sliced it.

Haru flopped back on her bed and covered her eyes with the back of her hand. She had escaped his clutches, she thought angrily. She had made off with Fuuta and they were living a whole new life with nothing to worry about any more. That should have been the end of it. She curled up on her bed and let the tears fall.

Would she ever be free of Basco?


	19. Chapter 19

**A bit of a development here. I'm rather proud of this chapter. I typed it up while waiting for the internet to behave itself again. The heart of my story seems to start off well in this chapter so brace yourselves. Things are going to get interesting from here on out! Let me know what you think though? Many thanks :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I neither own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

"Thank you, Ryuji. You can go back to your duties now."

The guard bowed and walked out of the room leaving Akira-san musing. What would a ruffian want with Mari-san? She had guessed that the girl had a past when she had come to the house. Who didn't after all? She wasn't the first and she certainly wouldn't be the last. This whole thing was suspicious. Was she an insider for him?

Maybe.

But she hadn't been herself since the market place. Mari-san was a lot of things, but traitorous was certainly not one of them. She looked out the window at her now as she worked on the laundry.

It couldn't hurt to be careful. There was no telling what such an unpredictable girl could possibly amount to. So she would keep an eye on her and hope this problem went away soon. She had a whole household to worry about anyway.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Why not? We'll invite guests from all over and I can get a few listening ears in here. You know we could use help on this project."

"I don't work like that," said Hibari crossing his arms. He hated that high society saw fit to meddle in everyone's affairs. He hated that they liked crowding together when one of their own showed any sign of weakness. He loathed this world of riches. It was be rich or die poor with them and they would peck at everything you had until it was so.

His mother had almost gone that way and would have too if Tsuyoshi hadn't helped out. It worked better that he had also fallen madly in love with her. That had been the end of his family's financial worries and he was forever in the old man's debt. He wasn't such a bad father-figure either.

But Hibari drew the line at this.

"I hate parties."

"I know but hey, this could even be the start of something new for you. You could meet the girl of your dreams and finally get me a grandchild…"

Hibari raised an eyebrow. He had never been interested in the fairer sex overmuch. With the obvious exception of one dark-haired hellion he could mention, they all bored him half to death with their meaningless banter. Half of them wanted his money and the other half wanted his body. He wasn't very interested in giving up either so he didn't usually bother with them.

"Okay, bad angle. We can make it as small and intimate as you like, but you know there's merit in what I'm saying. It wouldn't hurt to find a fiancée while you're at it either."

"It's either business or pleasure. Take your pick."

Tsuyoshi sighed. There was no winning with Hibari. He was always like this. He hadn't been very trusting when they had first met. He kept his distance even after he had married his mother. He knew Hibari wasn't a bad kid. He had been just a victim of circumstance and would have been much worse if he hadn't stepped in. He would have done anything for Hibari Suzume if she had just asked.

As it was, all she needed was a listening ear and a crying shoulder. He would have given her more, but she was a simple woman despite living in the upper crust for so long. He'd admired her courage and he wit and he'd had his heart stolen. His first wife had been lost to disease and Suzume had somehow brought him back from the daze he'd been in since that time. She had been an excellent mother to Takeshi too. Her death had been a blow to them all, but he felt he was stronger for having had the chance to know her at all.

All he wished now was for his sons to do the same. Hibari more so since he would rightfully be taking over his father's work and business. He had earned it but there was still a long road ahead and he would need a gentle guiding hand at the very least.

"Very well, you get your business sorted. I've still got a few good years left. Just don't keep me waiting too long, hmm?"

With that, the older Yamamoto left the room. Hibari sighed and rubbed his temples. He hated the very thought of having to mingle with some of those characters, but he would have little choice. Perhaps he could persuade his stepfather to alter the guest list a little bit. He could think of a few influential people who wouldn't mind helping him although he would have to twist one or two arms here and there.

A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts for the moment. It was a welcome distraction. More so since it was Mari-san. Somehow the tiredness he'd felt a moment ago was no longer there.

"Your afternoon tea sir. The cook recommended Jasmine."

"Have you ever had any?" Haru blinked at the question as she set the tray on the table. She should have known it wouldn't be an easy in-and-out job.

"No sir, I can't say I have."

Since he didn't add anything more, she assumed that was it and poured the tea. He would probably pull something she didn't expect though so she had to be wary. She set the saucer with the teacup on the table and put the sugar bowl beside it.

"Perhaps you should. It is said to cheer one up."*

Oh, so he had noticed. Haru sighed and said nothing. She had been wondering what to do about Basco and it had been bothering her up until now. If she didn't come up with a solution fast, things would get very ugly very fast. She could buy herself some time by giving Basco what salary she had but after that ran out, she was going to have to think of an alternative.

"Not talking back today?"

"I'm sorry sir, pardon me. If there's nothing else, I beg your leave."

Hibari leaned back in his chair and watched her. It had to be really serious if she was being this nice. What on earth had happened in that marketplace? She hadn't been the same since then.

"What is it?"

His serious tone of voice startled her. She trembled a bit but held her ground. He rose and walked up to her.

"Tell me Mari-san, what is bothering you? I will find out one way or another."

She remained quiet. She hoped to God he would never find out, but it was inevitable. She was certain of it. Perhaps she should run away? She would have to leave what little hope she had of ever being happy here and just run. She would have to break her promise to Fuuta. She would have to leave this place and never come back. She would have to find a place where Basco would never ever find her. She would have to…

Her face was jerked up and she met a steely grey gaze.

"I can't help you unless you tell me."

"Let… let me go."

That was as half-hearted a plea as ever. She seemed on the verge of giving up. He had never seen her like this before. He wrapped his arm around her waist and brought him close to her willing her to fight him – to fight back. She dropped her tray and gazed up at him with those scared eyes.

"Answer me Mari."

"Let me go… please."

That last whispered plea seemed to be her breaking point. Tears flowed down her cheeks in an unending stream. A sob tore through her and, consequently, through him. She clutched the front of his shirt and wept for all she was worth. All her fears and all her broken hopes, she let loose as she cried.

She had already lost so much and now she must lose more. She had gone through enough for the last thirteen odd years of her life since her own mother had abandoned her for some useless drunk when she was a mere four years old. Her life was finally starting to make sense. She admitted that she'd made a huge mistake with Basco all those years ago, but did she have to continue suffering for it? Had she asked to be brought into this world the unwanted daughter of a prostitute and some unknown man?

And she didn't notice, until he left to let her compose herself, how strong and safe and secure Hibari-sama's arms around her had been. For the first time in her life, she had felt something fill her heart that wasn't hatred, loathing, darkness or sadness. It was warm and bright and sunny and hopeful. She would have wanted to feel that forever.

She sniffed once more and wiped her tears. That was ironic. The ice cold demon she had met at first was actually rather warm. She smiled at that. She felt a lot better for having cried and knew she would have to explain herself to him sooner or later. He was right. He would find out eventually so he deserved to know.

And she would tell him… just not yet.

_***Fun fact: I read an article on Jasmine tea and apparently, according to Chinese tea theory, it can take away a bad mood and/or remove evil.**_


	20. Chapter 20

**This is maybe the third draft of this chapter. It's long overdue but my writer's block seems to be coming back. I won't lose though! *cue defiant laugh* Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'll continue to write as much as I can now that it's the holidays. Let me know what you think though? Many, many thanks to all my fans and readers.**

**DISCLAIMER: I neither own KHR nor any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

Having successfully snuck away from her chores, Haru was having a moment to herself. Luckily, Hibari-sama had left very early that morning on business of importance. The whole house was abuzz with the rumours that children were going missing in the east area of Namimori.

The other rumour was that they were being kidnapped for slavery on the continent. It made some sense. From the east area, they would just have to take the train and they would be lost forever. Haru was almost one of those children. She had escaped by a hair and ended up running the streets on her own before she met Basco.

She had heard the stories. Slavery was the best those children could hope for. Some of them were just never seen or heard from again. She hugged her knees to her chest. Sad as that was she had much bigger problems. She needed to get Basco to leave her alone for good.

Hibari-sama had asked her to tell him how she could help. Surely he could help out a little…

But it was unheard of. Besides the fact that she would never hear the end of it (in private of course), she didn't even know how to start asking for help. Picking up a stone, she hurled it angrily into the lake on the estate. She had discovered this place a few weeks before and had wanted a reason and a chance to come here by herself. She let out a frustrated sigh and took off her shoes. Well, if she was going to spend a few moments slacking, she might as well spend them the way she wanted.

She lifted her skirt and tied it around her knees. She couldn't possibly take the chance of taking off all her clothes so this would have to do. Akira-san would give her a blistering for the ages when she got back.

Haru leaned back and looked up at the morning sky. What she could see through the branches above her was vast open blue. The fluffy clouds floated along peacefully while the birds sang their usual tune. She'd missed this part of being free. Now she had duties and responsibilities and absolutely no time to herself. It was impossible to escape Akira-san's gaze at night and during the day… well today was just an exception. There was no guarantee she could get another day like that.

She waded in the water at first letting the cool water lap at her feet. She felt the smooth stones beneath her and smiled. It had been so very, very long. Scooping up some of the water, she splashed it in her face and sighed. That was much better. Feeling a little brave, she went up until the water reached her knees. She had to lift her skirt higher but since nobody was around and hardly anyone came to that side of the lake, she could do this at least.

A lone figure stopped a distance away and watched her, a smirk playing on his lips. She looked thoroughly ecstatic. How so very uncharacteristic of one of Hibari-sama's maids. He must be losing his touch. Well, whatever reason she had to be happy was her business. There was a radiance about her that attracted him though and he began to get curious.

He had been watching her for a while and had seen her looking lonely and crestfallen not too long ago. Now though, she was laughing as if she had no worries left in the world. That was a woman that sparked his interest. That was a woman he could spend many, many days trying to figure out.

Promising himself that he would see her again, he left the grounds. It was late and he had to look for his sister and her fiancé.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Hibari-sama returned late that evening. He went into his study and asked for his meal to be brought up. That was it. He was in a bad mood. Akira-san lingered at the door for a minute and then left to give Mari-san her orders. At that moment, she might have been the only one to lift the master's mood.

He had always been cool in all his interactions with everyone. She had accepted that part of him from the moment she had joined the household. He rarely shared his thoughts with anyone and he was not interested in the business of his maids or their problems. She had watched him interact with Mari.

His smile had come more easily than usual. He had asked about her more often than not. She could of course argue that he was merely interested in her since she wasn't just a maid but a criminal under his careful watch, but there was something more to that look he gave her.

He smiled uncharacteristically when he heard that she had misbehaved. He was rather amused really when normally he would never have tolerated such insolence. Moreover, he had not once spoken of finding another personal maid. Regardless of whether she was serving her punishment or not, she could have been assigned to any other part of the house, even the sty, but he had asked her to personally be his personal maid.

And Mari had made enough mistakes.

And she had not once received the order to have her removed from the household. There was that time he had asked to be assigned another maid, but he had not done more than that. And now she was allowed to be his maid again.

Akira-san still had her doubts about the young maid. There was still too much about her that Akira-san didn't know and she could steal from them and bolt at any moment. Letting her go into the market on her own had been one of the biggest risks Akira-san had taken. She had been given a sizeable amount of money too.

Then there was that young one…

But right then, he was under Takeshi-sama's care and Mari was under hers. The worst that could happen was that she would also end up in a mood and break a cup or two since she was most clumsy when she was agitated. The master himself would be at least a little happier with her around.

If things kept going this way, Akira had a feeling that there would be a new lady of the house sooner rather than later. It was not that she wouldn't be happy if the master found happiness but that particular lady would prove to be more work that Akira-san could handle.

Speaking of which, she had been missing all afternoon. She would have to be scolded again for skipping out on her duties.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru sighed and knocked on the door to Hibari-sama's study. She had been deciding whether the scolding she had gotten was worth the afternoon she got to relax. She'd had more time to think about her problem and she'd come to a conclusion. He had asked to be told and offered his help. That means that she had every right to ask for what she had in mind to solve her problem with Basco once and for all.

"Come in," came the curt reply from the other side of the door. He was in a bad mood.

Haru walked in and watched him carefully. He didn't change overmuch when he was truly upset but you could see it in little things. For example, he didn't even look up when she came in. And his voice sounded a little lower than usual. He was glaring at the papers in his hands moreover with that icy glare of his.

He was in no mood for anything irrelevant. Haru sighed inwardly. Her problem would just have to wait. She could bring it up when he was in a better mood… or should she even bring it up at all?

She shook her head. It wouldn't do her any good to second guess herself now. He had asked to help and she needed help desperately. She would probably owe him for life but that against Fuuta's safety was of little consequence.

Still, he looked rather upset. Things must not have worked out well with the case of those missing children.

"Ano, Hibari-sama?"

He heard her voice and forced his concentration away from the report he had been reading through since the afternoon. She had a concerned look on her face. He sighed and put down the paper. He needed to stop this madness. It didn't help that the police came up with no leads every time. There were currently ten children missing and not a single lead as to where they could have gone.

The last three children to have gone missing five months before wound up dead. Their bodies had been found in one of the fields on the outskirts of Namimori. Two of them had been street urchins and the last had run away from home.

It was clear that they had been targeted for their organs, a discovery that horrified him and all the police at the scene. The police report only repeated what he already knew. There was no evidence on the bodies and there were no witnesses or suspects. It was such cases that made his job all the more unbearable.

"Your supper is ready."

He nodded once and walked to the table and seat by the window indicating that she should serve him there. Haru dutifully proceeded to serve his meal and poured him a glass of water. Finished, she stood by and waited for him to finish. He didn't even begin. He looked out the window into the dark night obviously distracted. Haru cleared her throat.

"Hibari-sama?" she ventured again. He didn't seem to have heard her.

"Shall I bring you some Jasmine tea?"

He shook his head. Clearly he was more upset than she had thought. She reached out tentatively then stopped herself. She was in no position to be doing such things, but there was something inherently wrong about him being this upset. Even if she said nothing and even if he shook off her hand, she would have offered what comfort she could.

She reached out and touched his shoulder. It was strong and warm and sure, but he felt very stiff. A moment later, she felt him relax slowly under her fingers and pulled away her hand.

"You're just having a bad day. I find that a nap takes away my bad mood."

"I don't see how that would solve anything." Haru stood a little straighter and smiled.

"It might not help the investigation right away…"

"Then it's not useful to me."

"But you look… you look like you need rest."

"Ten children have gone missing. Every second I spend here could be their last."

Haru sighed. He was right. It was true that the children needed to be found urgently. Without giving her a chance to say any more, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"No child should have to go through that."

She smiled comfortingly and replaced her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll go get you that Jasmine tea anyway. You look like you'll need it. I gather you'll need something to keep your energy up while you work. Is there anything in particular you'd like sir?"

She turned to head towards the door. Before she could take three steps, she found herself being dragged back into his arms. They wrapped around her shoulders and he sighed. She gasped and would have struggled to come free if that sigh and his next words hadn't stopped her.

"Just a little while… Let me do this just for a moment."

She didn't dare move after that. He smelled wonderfully of soap and a little of perfume and something she had a feeling was just distinctly him. Her eyes slowly fell shut. He was wonderfully warm too. So very nice and warm…

She snapped back to the present. Where on earth had she left her head? He wanted some comfort and if not her, he would probably get comfort from some other woman. That knowledge didn't have the effect she had thought it would. She felt colder all of a sudden.

Ever so slowly, he released her and walked back to his table to eat. Haru gave him an awkward curtsy, finally realising what had happened and its implications, and left the room in a hurry. She would go and get him his Jasmine tea and anything else he needed, but she couldn't let herself keep getting flustered whenever he did this.

But… why hadn't she hated it so much as she had thought she would?

She fanned her reddening cheeks as she headed towards the kitchen.


	21. Chapter 21

**It turns out that classical music is a good cure for writer's block. This is the second chapter in as many days and I hope I'll be writing more soon. Please don't hate me for taking so long with this. I only just figured this out. Hope you enjoy the chapter and don't forget to let me know what you think. Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I neither own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and the OCs and nothing else.**

Hibari worked through the night stopping only to look at Mari who had fallen asleep in a chair waiting for his orders. He had completely forgotten about her. Perhaps he did need to rest a bit. He had looked through everything three times over. The reports and statements all said basically the same thing. The trail ended near the docks and after that, nothing was found and nobody knew what happened.

He sighed and looked at Mari's sleeping face. To see her so calm and peaceful one couldn't tell how much life burned behind those closed eyelids. Some of her hair had come loose and fell about her face as she breathed in and out gently.

A smile played on his lips as he watched. She was one of the more fortunate ones if he thought about it. She didn't seem to have run away from a rich home at least, but if she had lived on the streets very long, perhaps she had become accustomed to these stories?

It certainly seemed so. She hadn't seemed moved overmuch by the news, at least not as much as he had been.

Come to think of it, something had driven his personal maid to tears the evening before. He was curious about that. She was ever defiant and ever cheerful if she wasn't scowling at him. Whatever had reduced her to tears had to have been something big.

He wondered if she would ever trust him with that information. He rose from his chair and walked up to her sleeping form. Perhaps he should carry her to her room. The maids did like a bit of gossip and the news that he did carry her to her room would circulate like wildfire… but then again, that was what Akira-san was for.

Besides, the chair Mari-san had chosen to sleep in wasn't very comfortable. She would be better off in her own bed. She would be able to wait on him better if she'd had a peaceful night's sleep besides.

He bent and took her in his arms. She stirred a little then settled with her head on his shoulder and dropped off again. He chuckled and headed for the door. He would come back after he had made sure she was asleep again.

There was nobody in the halls. It was rather late in the night so it was understandable. Still, one could never be sure who was watching. A wicked thought came to him. Maybe he wouldn't do anything about the rumours.

He did like her and everyone knew that. Besides, it wasn't that he was spending the night in her room. She wouldn't appreciate that very much besides. He also doubted that her bed was big enough for the both of them anyway and she would be perfectly scandalised if she woke up in…

Turning the other way, he headed for his bedroom door with a self-satisfied gleam in his eyes.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

A bright light shone from a slit in the curtains. Haru groaned feeling a little stiff. She _**had**_ fallen asleep in a chair after all…

But she wasn't in a chair right then. She was in a bed. A rather comfortable bed at that. She looked down at the smooth purple satin sheets. Those did nudge at her memory. She looked around the room. She recognised it vaguely, but the angle was all wrong…

She sat up with a start, looked down at the bed once more and scrambled to untangle herself from the sheets. The emotions played on her face one by one; confusion, shocked horror, sheer embarrassment and back to confusion.

Thankfully, it didn't look like any of her clothes had been messed with although her apron was on the seat beside the bed. It didn't look like Hibari-sama himself was around either. Before she could turn her attention to how exactly she got there, Hibari-sama came back into the room from the bathroom. He had changed and washed and was clearly ready to leave for the day.

Haru's heart leapt into her throat. How in the name of all that was holy was she going to explain herself now? Wait a minute…

He merely gave her an amused glance as he reached for his watch on the nightstand. Her cheeks turned red for an entirely different reason.

Of course! He brought her here! That explained the extreme nonchalance with which he went about his morning ritual, as if it was very normal to have your maid sleep in the same bed with you all night. Her bewilderment turned to complete rage.

How on earth was she going to explain this to the other maids? What on earth had he been thinking bringing her into his room like that?

"Did you know that you snore Mari-san?" he asked as he adjusted the sleeves of his shirt.

"I do not!" she said and stomped her foot indignantly.

"You do. And you flail in your sleep." She glared at him hot with rage. Well good for him then. She hoped he'd been bruised black and blue.

"Would you like some breakfast sir?" she asked trying to rein in her barely held together temper. Best not do something she would regret later.

"There's no time. My maid was asleep when I should have had breakfast so I have to go without."

He gave her one last smirk as he left the room tipping his hat to her. The cad! The idiot! The mean bastard! His maid was asleep indeed. He shouldn't have brought her to his bed in the first place then. She had slept in much more uncomfortable places than the study room chair. She may have ended up a bit achy in the morning but that was nothing a few chores wouldn't have fixed. Now she had a world of explaining to do all because of _**him!**_

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Lucky for Haru, she had a knack for talking herself out of trouble. One or two maids noticed that her uniform was a little creased as if she'd slept in it. They raised a few questions but luckily, nothing that could cause a huge stir.

She would have been positively mortified if Takeshi-sama had found out. Even he would frown at her spending the night in his brother's room. Moreover, any feelings she hoped he held for her would be dashed at once. It just didn't bode well for her at all. Worse still would be the rumours that she was trying to better herself by seducing the master.

With Takeshi-sama, it was generally agreed that he was a gentleman and very kind. It may actually have been much worse if she had spent the night in his room instead. She coloured at the thought.

No, she would have at least liked a wholesome relationship first. She had never been courted before and it seemed she was approaching the age at which many girls got engaged. In two and a half more years, she would be too old to be married. Well, there was no rush anyway. People in the slums got married at all sorts of ages. She had seen one or two of the adults marry rather late and nobody minded.

Only the rich could afford to get married early.

Come to think of it, she hadn't been concentrating on Takeshi-sama for a while. What with Basco's threats and Hibari's demands and her many punishments, it was a wonder she got any time to herself where she wasn't exhausted and on the brink of passing out.

And there was a party to be had in a few days. She wondered what Takeshi-sama would wear. Probably his black trousers and black shirt with the blue waistcoat he only wore on special occasions.

It was impossible to determine what Hibari-sama would be wearing though. He did look good in almost everything he wore. There was the black waistcoat with the grey pants and jacket. Or perhaps he would wear the purple waistcoat and his special black suit. There were quite a few good choices. Perhaps Akira-san would ask her to prepare three of the best.

Perhaps he would even wear the black waistcoat with the gold inlay. She preferred that one to the silver one. It looked more sophisticated and fit him just right. If he wore that with a white cotton shirt, he was bound to look very impressive…

Haru caught herself sighing. Why on earth was she thinking about Hibari-sama? He was not the brother she liked. She probably hadn't gotten enough rest. That would explain a lot of things. Yes, she was simply working too much and she had suffered a great shock that morning so it made sense that her mind would be addled.

Added to the vast amounts of laundry she'd had to do and therefore spend plenty of time in the sun, she had a pretty solid case. She may actually be suffering from sun stroke. She could ask Akira-san to switch her duties a bit. A few weeks before, Akira-san would never have allowed such a thing and Haru would have been on the receiving end of a scathing glare, but now she at least had the privilege of making such requests and having them considered seriously.

But to attend a party! If someone had told her three months back that she would be attending a party in a rich man's house, albeit as a maid and not an actual guest, she wouldn't have believed it.

When she was in the pack, she had written it off altogether. There was no time for foolish girly fantasies when one was trying to survive. Now she had all the time in the world and she was surrounded by girls who did nothing else practically all day – when they weren't under serious surveillance by Akira-san that is.

It really was a grand thing, she mused. She wondered what it would be like to be one of the guests. She let her mind wander imagining a pretty pale blue dress with all the trimmings the high bred liked to wear. Perhaps not so gaudy as all that… it would have only a little lace around the neckline and bust and a white sash for adornment. Then she would like to wear pearls and a bit of silver.

Smiling at her reflection in her polished mirror, she would leave her grand room and head downstairs in preparation for the party. She would catch the eye of a few gentlemen in the crowd with her smile. Then she would curtsy to one particular gentleman. He would take her hand in his and lift it to his lips. His warm grey eyes would gleam with appreciation as he gave her a very small smile and spun her onto the dance floor…

Haru shook her head and slapped her cheeks twice trying to dispel her complete embarrassment. Grey eyes? There was only one person she knew who had grey eyes and she had no business thinking about him. He was too out of reach and too much trouble to bother with.

"Takeshi-sama, Takeshi-sama, Takeshi-sama…" she muttered to herself. She really should find Akira-san and ask her about shifting her duties bit. This was getting rather serious.

**A/N: Finally the day of the party in the next chapter. Any guesses as to whom the mystery man is that was watching Haru from afar in the previous chapter?**


	22. Chapter 22

**It's finally party-night and I've brought in mystery-man. Any more guesses as to who he is? Many apologies for taking so long with this story but I really want to make it as interesting as I can. Please let me know what you think of the chappie? Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I neither own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the manga/anime. I am7 only responsible for the plot and the OCs.**

The floor had been scrubbed and polished until it was gleaming. The flower vases had been filled with flowers freshly picked from the garden that afternoon and arranged just so. The gardener had been kind enough to show Haru how he arranged flowers for a grand ball.

The lamps had all been freshly oiled and lit bringing a wonderfully warm glow into what was originally a large empty great room. The windows had been washed and wiped and the curtains replaced. The doors leading onto the terrace were opened for the first time since Haru had been to the house and everything looked so… wonderful.

The chef had had to work overtime making special food for the occasion. Haru had never seen so many cakes and pastries in one place in her whole life. Akira-san had overseen the staff and housing arrangements. Some of the guests would also be staying overnight at the house and their rooms had been prepared. Haru had worked until all her joints were sore, but seeing that this was the result of all her work, she couldn't help thinking it had been well worth it.

Fuuta followed close behind Takeshi-sama. It looked like he would at least get to enjoy the party. That was enough for her. More than she could ask for really… Her gaze softened as her gaze fell on Takeshi-sama's tall frame. His dark blue suit outlined his features just so. His hair had been combed perfectly in place and he seemed like something out of a children's story.

Then she saw Hibari-sama come down the stairs. He kept his arms firmly at his sides, clearly uncomfortable with being in a room full of people. She had guessed that he didn't particularly like being around people and she had wondered why, but Akira-san had simply pointed out that the master's wishes were to be followed and that was the end of that.

He wore the black suit with the black waistcoat – the one with the gold lining. His collar had been done up just so and in the centre of his cravat sat a grey gemstone. He walked down the steps with something of a regal air that made Haru curtsy in response. Luckily, that had been part of the rigorous training she and the other maids and butlers had been taken through. Beside her, the other maids curtsied at his entrance.

Then his eyes met hers and her heart skipped a beat.

It was only for a moment, but she had felt that they had shared something intimate. Something nobody else in the room seemed to notice. He had turned away already and was standing next to his brother and father although very close to the terrace doors. Chances were that he was planning to escape the first chance he got.

The guests were announced as they arrived and soon the party began. The first guests were a young man and lady escorted by and older couple. They were introduced as Lord and Lady Sawada together with Master Sawada and Lady Sasagawa. Haru tipped her head to the side as she surveyed the young Master Sawada. There was a certain cuteness about him that she couldn't quite explain, but of course it was no match for Takeshi-sama. The guests greeted the masters and Takeshi-sama introduced Fuuta to them.

He seemed a little shy at first, but Lady Sasagawa had that well in hand. Pretty soon, Fuuta was following her around instead of Takeshi-sama, not that he seemed to mind it. Haru smiled. She had a kind smile. If circumstances had been any different, perhaps they could have been friends…

The next guests to arrive were a little rough and had been introduced as the Varia Famiglia. Their leader was a man with piercing red eyes and scars on his face. The three behind him were a silver-haired man with a scowl on his face, a dark-skinned man with wild hair who didn't seem keen to leave the leader's side, and a blonde man in gaudy clothing wearing a crown on his head. Could he be royalty?

The leader handed his coat over and remained in his rather fashionable suit, although he had skipped the tie altogether. Haru doubted he was in very legal business. He looked like he might even be the one causing all the deaths and disappearances in town. She had no right to judge that however. If he was at this party, she had to be wrong more so because Hibari-sama approached him personally.

Unwilling to go anywhere with her master, the men stood where they were, discussed what business was necessary, and then Hibari-sama moved away allowing the guests to go about their business.

The final guests to arrive were a rather peculiar pair introduced as the Kokuyo Heirs. There wasn't a soul in town who didn't know the Kokuyo. They had the biggest work fields in the whole country and anyone who felt like they could work was hired. Haru never made it to their fields since they were so far away, but they were fair and their produce was what fed the town. Almost all the food in town was from those fields. And the heirs to that estate were standing right there.

One was a seemingly very shy girl who stood next to a man with different coloured eyes. One was red like the Varia leader's eyes and the other was a mystical blue. His gaze met hers briefly and she couldn't help feeling rather captivated by it. She flushed and bowed her head as they walked past.

Why was he looking at her like that? Was there something on her face? She's made sure to wash and scrub. And she'd wiped all the crumbs off her face after she's finished the small pastry she'd taken from the serving tray. Akira-san had also done last-minute inspection and she had passed…

"Mari-san, take your tray and serve the guests," ordered Akira-san drawing Haru away from her thoughts. Haru picked up her try and began going around the room offering some to the guests. She had reservations about approaching the Varia group, but she had very little choice. The leader surveyed her in an unsettling way, his scars seemingly increasing, then, taking a pastry from her plate, dismissed her altogether.

The blonde man surveyed her himself with a broad grin on his face that Haru didn't quite like. There was something about him that made him seem not human… or inhuman. Who knew what was going through his mind? The sooner she got away from him, the better.

The silver-haired man with the scowl was surprisingly loud and nearly made her drop her plate when he asked her where the drinks were. She gestured to the butler doing the drinks round and finally made her escape when he came over.

She had been right about Lady Sasagawa. She had smiled happily at Haru and asked for her name. That had taken her completely by surprise and she'd nearly ended up giving her real name. Beside Lady Sasagawa (who insisted on being called Kyoko-san), Fuuta beamed at her. Nobody who made Fuuta smile like that could possibly be evil. That she filed away for future reference.

Beside her, Master Sawada looked a little too stiff and nervous. He was eyeing the Varia group suspiciously and didn't seem to particularly want to be around them. Haru couldn't blame him, she supposed. With another curtsy, she left their pleasant company to head over to the last two guests to arrive.

Forcing her feet to move forward, she offered her tray to the pair trying studiously to avoid meeting the man's eyes.

The girl reached out hesitantly and picked a pastry from her tray. The man didn't seem to want anything much but Haru had to stand there until he had dismissed her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. It took Haru a moment to figure out he had been talking to her. She let out a small sigh of defeat and steeled herself daring to look up. If she had thought him captivating before, he was positively mesmerising now. He smiled gently and reached for her shoulder. Haru flinched not knowing what to expect, but he picked up a piece of pastry that must have gotten caught on her clothes and cast it aside.

Before she could really run away now exposed to that searching gaze, Takeshi-sama came to her rescue.

"Come on Mukuro, you can't go scaring my brother's maid as you wish. You know he wouldn't like it."

The man known as Mukuro raised an eyebrow and his smile widened.

"His maid, is she? How interesting. I hope we shall get to speak again, signorina."

He dismisses her and Haru gives a curtsy. She sighs with relief once she gets back to the food table. That was way too intense. Was dinner service always like this in parties? And it seemed that Hibari-sama knew a lot of very important people…

Haru looked towards the terrace doors and then searched for Akira-san. She was nowhere in sight. Surely, if she went out for a little air and came right back in, it wouldn't be a problem. This was way too much for one night anyway and the party had only just begun…

That was easier said than done, however. There were three obstacles to the doorway. First was the butler who kept giving her disapproving looks as if he knew what it was she was about to do. He would be the first person she had to get past. Picking up her tray again, she made as if to serve the older Sawada couple, which she did with a smile and a curtsy. The butler gave her a look, but did no more and turned to deal with another one of the maids.

The second obstacle would be the guests. She had served all of them already but she made the rounds again just in case. With the one goal of the door in mind, she wasn't as nervous as before. That was two obstacles down. The final one was both difficult and easy.

Akira-san was entirely devoted to her work so she may have been too distracted to notice Haru making her way to the doorway. Lucky for Haru, that was exactly the case, Akira-san was facing away from Haru giving express orders to the maids who were supposed to attend to the rooms. This was her chance.

Setting her tray down carefully, Haru bolted and made it out the door and into the fresh air. Congratulating herself, she stretched her arms over her head and let out a relieved sigh. She had barely taken three steps forward when her arm was suddenly yanked and drawn into the shadows of the archway in the terrace leading to the garden. A hand was placed over her mouth and her hands were held firmly behind her.

Whoever it was didn't want her to fight him. Having lived every day of her life fighting, she had already begun assessing how she could get free and beat the stuffing out of this guy when a low voice she recognised spoke near her ear.

"Be quiet and do not move."


	23. Chapter 23

**So the truth comes out in this chapter finally. I hope I can keep this up since I've been on a bit of a roll since I started writing again (you'll note from all the updates). Well, enjoy the chappie and please let me know what you think? Many, many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I neither own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

Haru stood very still just as Hibari-sama had asked. She had no idea why and the position they were standing in was rather awkward, but he probably had a good reason for it… right? Then she heard voices in the garden, one male and one female.

The female voice was rather quiet but the male voice seemed to be one she knew as well.

Forcing herself out of Hibari-sama's grasp, Haru turned and met his gaze. He didn't seem to want her to know who Takeshi-sama was with. Perhaps he hadn't even wanted her to know he was there in the first place. Curious now and daring him to stop her, she peered behind the archway and saw Takeshi-sama walking with a woman.

She was clearly one of the guests but Haru couldn't quite tell who… at least not until they walked into the light beside the garden fountain. There beside Takeshi-sama stood the heiress to the Kokuyo fortune. There was a shyness about her that Haru could understand and there was a happiness about him that she had not thought possible.

Ever so gently, Takeshi-sama took her hand in his and linked their fingers. Then his kissed her hand and lay it against his chest as he kissed her forehead ever so gently. Haru watched, feeling a very little part of her break inside her. Of course he didn't like her in the way she would have wanted and truth be told, she knew he never would.

But seeing the proof right before her very eyes was something else. The dream had shattered. She would never see him the same way again. Holding back a sob, she turned away from the scene as Takeshi-sama reached for her lips with his. And she ran right into Hibari-sama again. She had completely forgotten that he was there.

"Y… you knew…"

"Yes."

"Who… who is she?"

"His fiancée."

"And… and you didn't… you didn't want me to see…"

"No." She chuckled as she wiped tears she hadn't noticed were flowing.

"Was I that obvious?"

"As always," he said and reached for her face wiping one tear away before realizing what he was doing. It was too late. She met his gaze again and he saw the pain there. This was what he hadn't wanted. He hadn't wanted her to cry. But she would have found out anyway and would have cried like this, probably even before another man.

Didn't she know how absolutely inviting she looked when she was helpless? He had the sudden urge to punch his brother for making her cry. The fact that she was so devastated meant she had, in all her innocence, fallen in love with him.

And now that love was no more.

Taking her hand in his, he led her round the other entrance of the house cleverly avoiding all the help, and up the steps to the sleeping quarters. He took her past her own room and directly into his where he shut the door behind them.

She barely noticed. She was in a daze trying to digest what was going on.

"Mari-san," said Hibari. She barely reacted. He was a little concerned by her quietness. She was a lot of things. She had been furious and she had been happy. She had been vulnerable and she had cried in his arms. She had been a very many things, but she had never been this devastated.

Running out of both ideas and patience, he did the one thing he thought to do. Holding her chin and raising her face, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her.

Haru blinked once then twice realising what was happening. By then, though, it was hard to stop him. His arms wrapped around her waist pulling her even closer to him, his lips beginning to slant over hers. It wasn't entirely an unpleasant feeling, she had to admit, but she should be fighting him… she knew she should and had raised her arms to do so but her body was betraying her and her fingers gripped his shirt instead. Her eyes fell shut and she surrendered herself up to him.

Feeling herself heat up and her body begin to melt under his ministrations, she let out a soft moan. That seemed to be enough to jolt him back to reality. He pulled away from her but only slightly unwilling to stop what they had started. They were both breathing hard. Her face was flushed and lovely. His shirt was caught tightly in her fists. It would be phenomenally easy to kiss her again and let things go as they would. He could do it as he had with so many other women…

But she was not like those others. She was vulnerable and innocent. She inflamed him more than he had thought possible. He couldn't take advantage of her like that. He ran his thumb over her lips gently.

He would have to be patient. He would never be able to truly have her if he took any more now. He must allow her to forget his brother before he made that move again.

"Stay here," he said placing his hand over one of her fists. Slowly, she let go and he pulled away slowly. It was agonising for her to be this close yet still so far from him. "I'll return after the guests leave. I have an important meeting in the morning so please prepare my clothing for it."

With that, he left the room. Haru crumpled to the floor. Perhaps it was the emotional exhaustion. She raised her hand to her lips and touched them. Hibari-sama had kissed her again. And she had let him.

Maybe it was just the pain of Takeshi-sama's rejection. Perhaps he was just bringing her back to reality again. Her daze was definitely gone now. At least he had tried to make the whole situation less awkward by giving her things to do. She was grateful for that. He was giving her time to compose herself.

"Thank you." She said to the quiet room.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"So boys, you heard the man," said Xanxus as he and the other Varia left the Hibari household.

"Ushishishi… shall I rough up the boys downtown boss?" asked the blonde man as he played with a knife he picked out of his jacket.

"Put that away before you hurt someone, idiot!"

"I don't care how you do it. Nobody takes over a business on my turf without me knowing about it. I want this bug flushed and crushed."

"So we won't be letting him know?"

"Our business is our business."

The two grinned and walked away. Hibari watched them from the upstairs window in his study.

There was no trusting a gangster. He didn't much like doing business with them, but the problem would eventually be solved. They were his most effective connection to the underground world where someone would have heard something. They would look into it since all these disappearances and murders were happening on their side of town.

If things went well and the Varia's very efficient connections managed to root out this problem, then his job would have been done as well. The rest was up to them now.

With business taken care of for now, there was one more thing he had to take care of…

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Hibari came into the room and found her fluffing up his pillows. She had turned down the bed and prepared his sleeping clothes. In the soft candlelight, she was almost glowing. She turned and gave him an uneasy little curtsy.

The air between them was a little awkward. Given the kiss they had shared that was still very fresh in his mind, he supposed it was warranted. And her face was turning a becoming shade of red. His gaze fell on her completely kissable mouth. She noticed and he smirked rather evilly. There was no way he could resist…

"Have I won already?" he asked taking a step towards her. That seemed to register and he saw the fire flare in her gaze once more although only briefly.

"I have prepared everything for you master," she said in a forced voice, "is there anything else you would like?"

He could come up with a million answers to that question and all of them would end with her in his arms wild with passion. But he had to give her time, he reminded himself. He didn't want her only for as long as she was sad about his brother. He would have her and only her if it was the last thing he did.

It was with herculean effort, therefore, that he shook his head, took her hand and led her to the door.

"You are dismissed," he said and shut the door firmly behind her. It was the first time in his life he had ever denied himself something. And his current decision was going to drive him mad if she didn't get over it very, very soon.


	24. Chapter 24

**So I thought about adding Gokudera to this mix but couldn't come up with any particular convincing argument but he at least got a mention. I brought in Lambo and I-pin as well. Planned to add Ryohei as well but he didn't quite fit so, maybe next time. For now, please enjoy the chapter and I will do my very best to keep the updates coming. Please don't forget to review! Many thanks :3**

**DISCLAIMER: I neither own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot, the OCs and nothing else.**

The morning came swiftly and Haru, unable to properly sleep the night before, rose with a yawn. She had a very long day ahead of her and she knew it. She had to go and see Hibari-san that morning for his meeting's preparation and Akira-san had already told them that they would be expecting more guests for breakfast. Among them would be a child and thanks to Fuuta who had (helpfully) mentioned that she was good with children, Haru had been put in charge of the ones who would be arriving.

It wasn't that she minded really. She had spent enough time with the younger children in the pack to keep them entertained. It would be a welcome distraction from those things that plagued her…

After getting ready, Haru walked to Hibari-sama's room ready to face whatever came. She hadn't been able to get that kiss out of her mind. How could she when she had never felt so…

Shaking her head to rid herself of such thoughts and trying to fight a blush, she knocked on the door and walked in. He was not in his bed as she had expected him to be. She turned to the window and found him there gazing at the rising sun, a glass of water in hand.

"G… Good m…morning sir," she began and cleared her throat. She flushed not having realized how nervous she really was. This was nonsense! Why should she be afraid of him just because of one kiss? He had kissed her before already and she had been fine! She could do this, she really could.

She just had to forget how his lips had felt against hers… and how he tasted… and how he had held her flush against him… and how she had felt her toes curl… and how…

Shaking herself once more, she straightened ready to speak when he beat her to it.

"I will leave in three hours immediately after breakfast. I may not be back for two more days after that."

Haru swallowed and spoke finally, "Will that be all sir?"

He didn't turn to her once. Somehow it made her feel a little lonely. The night before, after he had returned to the room, she had noticed something had changed in him. He wasn't as passionate as he had been when he left her the first time. Perhaps reality had caught up with him? That was the only logical explanation. Of course it didn't mean anything to him. He was young, handsome and successful; of course he would have had many women after him and he could pick any one of them. He must have just been toying with her.

"That will be all. You are dismissed."

He was being so formal and she didn't like it. More frustrating than the fact that her thoughts of him had kept her awake half the night was the fact that she seemed to be the only one who had these foolish feelings. And what exactly had she been expecting? She wouldn't be getting a declaration of his undying love.

Well, no matter. She had bigger things to worry about.

As she walked out and shut the door behind her, Hibari tightened his hold on his glass. He couldn't turn to look at her. He didn't trust himself around her. If that was difficult, breakfast would be harder. Then he had to leave to search for more clues and find out what the Varia were doing. One could never be too careful as far as the underworld was concerned. That would mean two more days away from her.

She would be safer here, away from him. He drained his glass and watched the rising sun bathe everything in a soft glow and let the warm sunlight calm his roiling thoughts.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Gyahahahaha! Lambo-sama is the greatest there ever was! You there, you must bow to me!" The little terror who had been brought to the mansion that morning ran around the garden laughing maniacally (well, as much as a three-year-old could manage) forcing Haru to chase him.

He had a big imagination this one. Armed with a stick which he waved around rather dangerously, he tried to parry Haru's own. She couldn't quite tell if he was fighting as a king, or a pirate (maybe both?) and he claimed the gazebo as his headquarters and treasure trove. The girl beside her, armed with a stick of her own, scowled at the boy and charged, obviously not liking the idea of bowing down to him.

That escalated into a full out war that seemed centred around whether or not Haru was on either side. She ended up being in the middle of a tug of war between the two children when she decided she'd had quite enough.

Taking their arms firmly in hers, she began spinning and soon, the feud was forgotten. Happy laughter filled the garden as they played and then they had to go inside to rest and for a snack. Kyoko-san who was taking care of both Lambo and I-pin was there to welcome them with big hugs when they came in from playing.

"Did you have a lot of fun?" she asked picking up Lambo while I-pin held onto her skirt.

"Yes, lots of fun. The maid is a worthy opponent. I would rather have her than Baka-dera as a sparring partner. Can we take her with us?"

"Stupid Lambo, of course not, right Kyoko-nee?"

Kyoko laughed and ruffled his hair.

"I think Mari-san will have to choose for herself."

Giving her a warm smile in thanks, Kyoko took the children in to the main hall. Haru would have turned and left the house if she had not had her hand suddenly grabbed and pulled into a corner of the house.

Before she could speak a word, her lips had been sealed with another pair she was only just starting to recognise. The arm around her waist held her in place and the one buried in her hair held her head in place. Helpless, she clung to him realising only belatedly, that she had been mad at him. Then sense caught up with her. They would be seen. She had to get out of his grasp. She tried to wriggle away, but the arm around her waist tightened and the lips got more insistent.

It would be so easy, so absolutely easy to give in and forget…

Then he let her go. Her eyelids fluttered open just as his hands pulled away from her. She caught for only a second, the fire she had seen behind his gaze the night before. It was only a glance, but she could not have imagined it. She most definitely hadn't.

"Tell-Akira-san to prepare the carriage," he said gruffly and left down the hallway leading up to his study. Breakfast must have been over. Or, more likely, he had left the gathering so he could leave at the earliest possible convenience. Haru stayed where she was slumped against the wall as she let her rapidly beating heart calm down.

He was a mystery. One moment he was flaming passion and the next he was cold ice and solid rock. She touched her lips allowing herself only a moment to reflect on what she had done, what she had allowed him to do to her, and understand what it was she was considering accepting.

She didn't know what to feel.

Before last night, it had been Takeshi-sama. It had always been Takeshi-sama. It had, hadn't it? It had certainly started out that way. And she had been mad when Hibari-sama had stolen her first kiss. But, she thought with startling clarity, she hadn't been overly upset about Takeshi-sama and the Kokuyo heiress. She had been dazed to find out and the relief she felt confused her a little.

She had been disoriented completely when Hibari-sama had kissed her only moments afterwards, but she had not been upset about it, had even half hoped he would do it again when he had returned.

But he had looked strange and pained as if he could not understand what he was doing or why. It was a given. They were not meant to be together. Why he was even attracted to her to begin with was a total mystery.

But, she thought with a resigned sigh, she hadn't hated it.

And he had kissed her again now which had not helped her figure anything out all except for the fact that he liked kissing her. She rapped on her head with her knuckles and shook her head. She was thinking crazy thoughts right now and there were guests and chores to attend to. For once she longed for the sweet monotony of housework.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Very little ever got past the Kokuyo heir. He had made it his business to know things for as he had been taught before, knowledge is power. He had been watching the servant girl that had caught his eye with interest. He had seen her outside with the children and had smiled. That was a good trait for a woman to have. That meant she could raise his heirs well

She had stood up to the idiotic lapdog of the Tenth Generation Vongola heir with a furious vengeance that inflamed him. She was no lightweight and would take no orders lying down. She was one of a kind to be sure.

And as sure as his name was Mukuro, he knew that Hibari knew that too.

He was therefore not altogether surprised when Hibari's gaze had searched hers out for the merest of moments and she had flushed as she and the other servants curtsied. So he had an opponent for her hand, it would seem.

"Well-played," he thought. Now that he was leaving though and it didn't seem like he had made any claim on her, she was fair game – his for the taking, he thought with a smirk.


	25. Chapter 25

**Hi all. I'm so sorry about the hiatus. I am doing my very best to get this going again since I got the idea for this chapter. I hope you like it all the same and I will begin work on chapter 26 soon. I know I've made this promise before but I really do want to finish this story so please bear with me. Let me know what you think? Many thanks.**

**DOSCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and the OCs.**

The rest of Haru's morning was thankfully filled with housework. She had just finished hanging up the linens and was supposed to transport the clean bed sheets up to the masters' quarters beginning with Takeshi-sama.

Akira-san watched her leave wondering what had happened to make her so complacent. She was never this eager to get her chores done. Still, she had worked all morning without a fuss, without a single word of complaint. She was almost thankful when Akira had given her the laundry duty. She'd also looked a bit distracted. Perhaps something good had happened then? Whatever it was, at least she was working efficiently now and Akira-san hoped it stayed that way.

Haru hefted the basket in her arms and began her journey up to the rooms. Deciding she would really rather have a bit more time to herself she took the more deserted route via the back hallway. Hardly anyone ever went there. She could get a moment of privacy as she went about her duties. She turned off the main corridor and started heading down the quiet one. She was so lost in thought she almost missed the figure approaching her from behind.

She heard the footsteps just in time and the moment he grabbed her wrist, she let go of the basket ready to defend herself. One didn't just live on the streets without knowing how to defend themselves. In a moment, the tables were turned and she had her attacker up against the wall. She looked up to meet the gleaming eyes of the Kokuyo heir. That seemed to startle her a bit and he took that opportunity to his advantage. He stood before her in a moment free of her hold.

"What do you want from me?" she asked her expression fierce. Straightening his jacket, he held his hands behind his back and gave her a little bow.

"Well done. Who taught you to do that?"

"What do you want from me?" she repeated more warily than fiercely as she had intended. She hated that he unnerved her so much. That gleam in his hetero-chromatic eyes wasn't making things any easier.

"You interest me," he replied simply. He wasn't joking even though he was smiling. There was something in his voice that convinced her of that. She straightened a little and raised her chin determined not to lose to this man. The previous evening she had to act the part of the complacent maid but now they were alone and she could act as she wished. Whatever this one wanted from her, she wasn't so sure she wanted to give it.

"Not many maids would look down upon her master's guests," he continued, "what do you suppose your master would say to that?"

"If you are quite done, I would like to leave now," she replied tartly. She had no intention of remaining in the same space with him for very long, but she belatedly remembered that Akira-san would want her to be courteous. If word got to her that she had behaved otherwise, she would probably get a lot more work than she had counted on.

"Somehow I doubt you need my permission," he chuckled. "I will see you again."

With that, he turned and strolled down the hallway calm as you please. Haru turned back to her discarded laundry basket and gasped in horror. The freshly cleaned bed sheets were all soiled. She would have to do them all over and her arms were already so sore! She wished she hadn't asked for extra laundry now.

Cursing the cad under her breath, she gathered up the bed sheets and walked back the way she came. No doubt Akira-san would be spitting nails when she saw the damage... And all because of this strange man who had taken an interest in her. She gave an irritate huff and vowed not to think about him anymore. His parting words that they would meet again had seemed almost ominous; more of a warning than a parting. She would have to watch her step around him.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Hibari made his way down the alley. Thankfully it was deserted. It was strange for this part of town at this hour, but then again, in a place where every man fended for himself and where everyone was after you for one thing or another; he supposed it wasn't so strange. Hitching up his coat a little higher, he made his way up a side alley to the house on the end of the row. Somewhere in the distance a dog howled and a drunken man chanted nonsense probably on his way home.

He rapped twice on the door and it was opened for him.

"Ushishishi... the boss has been waiting," said the man who opened the door. Hibari said nothing although he didn't hide the fact that he didn't like being there. It wasn't a dirty house by any means. The outside said nothing of the features of the inside of the house. Impossibly glamorous furniture decked the front hall and the dim light only served to compliment it all.

He followed the man through one of the doors which opened up into a small parlour that was no less grand for its size. In an armchair beside the fire sat the man Hibari has come to see. In other seats around the room and standing by the windows were four other men. They all regarded the visitor with watchful eyes. None of them would move unless their boss told them too. It was an added precaution no doubt. Neither he nor Xanxus trusted each other; that much was obvious.

"You have news for me," said Hibari getting to business immediately. Xanxus waved his hand and all the other men left the room. The last man gave Hibari a sneer and shut the door behind him as he left.

"You deigned to show up," he said.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. What do you know?"

"Deal with your men at the docks. It seems they have been paid off by someone rather high up in the ranks."

Hibari nodded. That much information was useful. He could deal with it as he saw fit.

"I will be leaving then. Our deal stands."

He reached for the doorknob when Xanxus spoke again.

"It seems some of your help comes from some really deep gutters. I don't care either way, but you may want to watch your step."

With a snap of his fingers, two of the men came back into the room. Hibari was escorted to the door again and it was shut firmly behind him. He really did not like having to deal with the Varia, but they were currently his only chance at getting to the bottom of these murders. The ominous warning at the end did not concern him much. He trusted Akira-san and the choices she made – but he would look into it all the same as soon as he had dealt with the final piece to the puzzle; the docks.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

The last of the guests had left and the next day was market day. She had to pay up now. There was no denying it any more. She had to find a way to get rid of the problem once and for all. There was also no feasible way of doing so save with Hibari-sama's help. She wondered if she should involve him at all. He might not like the idea of her being involved in such things. Of course he wouldn't like it...

The bigger question was what he would do about it. He could very well serve as her protector. That would mean no more trips out of the house at all. Basco was not one to be messed with. Damn him and his demands. She was going to leave that life behind her. That had been her plan all this while and now here she was stuck with all these problems. It wasn't fair.

She flopped back on her bed and went over all her options, none of which she liked. If worst came to absolute worst, she might have to leave the house altogether. She would be leaving Fuuta behind, which was honestly for his own good. She would also be destroying whatever hope she had in this strange relationship she had formed with Hibari-sama.

Would he care at all if she left? That was a little unfair. He did seem to feel something for her and he was human after all... it was hard to imagine. Turning onto her side, Haru shut her eyes and resolved to get some sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 down finally! I really hope I can keep this up until the end. I truly apologise to all my fans for keeping you waiting for so long. Please read and let me know what you think? Many thanks :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and the OCs.**

Hibari-sama came back on the evening of the next day. He looked tired and a little worn, but he was not upset. His errand must have been successful then. Haru fidgeted restlessly as the cook prepared the meal. He gave her surreptitious glances and a warm smile whenever he met her gaze. She gathered he thought she was nervous about being in Hibari-sama's presence again, which she was, but probably not for the reasons he was thinking.

"Mari-san."

"Yes!" she said bolting out of her seat and standing at attention before Akira-san. The older woman raised an eyebrow at her behaviour then turned to the cook.

"Hibari-sama has requested that you only bring him ginseng tea to his study with two rolls of bread. Be careful with the crockery. I do not have to tell you how much you will have to pay if any of them are broken, do I?"

Haru shook her head vigorously. Akira-san regarded her for a moment longer as if she was something foreign and unknown. Deciding it was not worth her time to try and get to the bottom of it, Akira-san turned and left Haru and the cook to attend to some other duties.

Haru supposed she was acting a bit strange but there was good reason for it. She wrung her fingers and wiped them on her apron for the fifth time in a minute. Why was this so difficult? It was only Hibari-sama. She shouldn't be this unravelled at the thought of meeting him again surely?

How could she not? He had kissed her to near madness twice in the span of a few hours and then gone away for a while. Now he had returned and she was meant to remain composed as if nothing had happened between them? Would he kiss her again? She dared not hope so but found herself almost wishing he would. Or would he maintain proper form and just ignore her again? Thinking about it was torture. She would just have to make her way to his study and find out herself.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Hibari heard the knock and allowed the visitor to enter. He was looking through some more reports of two more missing children. He had to come up with a plan for bypassing his corrupt security forces at the docks and still catching the culprit in the act. Xanxus would no doubt want to deal with the other pests on his turf by himself. The docks were Hibari's responsibility. The trail of murders led there and unless he got more information, they wouldn't get anywhere. He was so engrossed in his papers that he hardly heard her come in

Only the tray with the rattling china drew his attention at all and when he looked up, it was to see the flushed gaze of Mari-san. The moment he did, his full attention was on her. He had not seen her for all of a day and, much as he hated to admit it, he had come back early specifically to see her. Now that she was before him, he was just barely holding himself back.

"I... I have brought your tea, sir."

He nodded wordlessly and kept watching her a moment longer. He looked back down at his papers and she took a tentative step forward. Placing the tray in her hands carefully down on the table, she poured out his tea and put down the rolls. When she turned again, it was to find his gaze resting firmly on her. He clearly could not concentrate either.

"Is... is there anything else you would like?" she asked trying to cut through the thick awkward silence. He stood and made his way towards her. He should have been heading for the table which was beside her, but he reached for her instead. His hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. She went along helplessly. Not daring to stop what she hoped would happen she let herself be pulled into his embrace.

Her heart was thundering in her chest now, so much that it hurt. Her knees felt weak and wobbly and all he was doing was holding her. Then his lips grazed her cheek and he whispered her name – the name he had given her. She shivered slightly hearing it. She should probably tell him her real name. It was only right, wasn't it? She opened her mouth to do so when a knock on the door interrupted them.

Cursing slightly under his breath, he let go of her and moved to sit in his seat. Haru cleared her throat and stood awkwardly on the other side of the table with her face down. She was sure she was as red as a tomato.

"Come in," he said calmly picking up his cup and taking a sip. How he could be so composed was well beyond her. She was a proper mess herself and if he didn't let her compose herself, she would be downright useless! The door opened and one of the messengers came in.

"I have a message for you, sir. There is also a gentleman downstairs requesting your presence urgently."

Haru took the note and passed it to Hibari-sama, their fingers brushing only barely. He nodded and dismissed the page and read the note as he took a look at the message. His features grew grim and he rose from his seat.

"Do not leave until I return," he said and left the room. Haru sighed with relief feeling as if she had been released from an invisible bond. She leaned against the table a bit causing the dishes to rattle. Remembering Akira-san's warning, she moved over towards the sturdier desk and took a few deep breaths. Whatever was happening downstairs was taking quite a bit of time. Haru was thankful for that.

She looked around the room while she was alone. She hadn't got to spend an awful lot of free time here so there were a few things she'd missed. The porcelain doll in the case behind Hibari-sama's chair for example. It also contained a small ship in a bottle. She marvelled at how much work it must have taken to build. Then there were the little statues made of dark stone, another one of a fairy creature in wood and a little metallic sculpture of what she guessed was a hedgehog.

It was all so interesting. She wondered if there was a story behind each one and what that story was. Then she looked at the books beside Hibari-sama's desk. There had been a time when she had to read out loud to the nuns at the convent. She had been forced to recite the Bible verses so many times as punishment that she had gotten quite fluent. It was not a skill that many had and not one that she let a lot of people know that she had either. She would have made a valuable slave if anyone had known when she had first escaped the convent.

Not even Basco knew.

She frowned when she thought of him again. What was she going to do? Akira-san had already told her that she would be making the market rounds on her own this time. She had to give Basco exactly what he asked for or Fuuta may not be so safe anymore. He had improved a lot in the short time he had been there. He talked a lot more and smiled a lot more too. His cheeks had a nice healthy colour to them and he was always so animated when he talked about Takeshi-sama. He had really grown into himself here. This house was good for him.

Haru smiled to herself and would have looked away had she not happened to glance at the document on the desk. The script was a rather difficult cursive but she could still make it out mostly. It was a description of one of the bodies found. It was of a young girl with dark hair and bright blue eyes. She had been found in the back of a field when a farmer's dog had accidentally dug her up.

As Haru read on, she began to grow pale. The physical description of the girl was familiar – very familiar. And she had a feeling, as she read the particulars of her death, that she had an idea as to who had caused it in the first place.


	27. Chapter 27

**Hello all. I'm on a bit of a roll with this one. It seems my ideas have come flowing out all of a sudden and if I don't get them down immediately, I may just lose track of the story again. So, here is the next chappie. I hope you like it. The plot thickens around Hibari's investigation... Let me know what you think? Many thanks :)**

**I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the fan fiction characters you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Ling Mei had been introduced to the pack not too many years ago. She was a little Chinese girl who had run away from her step-father and step-mother's house. Her story was truly tragic. Her father had died first and her mother had remarried some obscure relative. This man had proceeded to poison her mother and then married the woman he had wanted to marry all along. She knew because they constantly told her so.

She was an unusually pretty little thing with bright blue eyes and raven hair. Basco and his cronies had found her in the streets wandering helplessly along. Luckily for her, Haru had been there too. Basco had left the girl with her and gone on his way with the others. Haru had taken the position of protecting Ling Mei just like she had with Fuuta. The girl was grateful to have found a friend she could confide in. The two became fast friends – especially since they were so close in ages.

Ling Mei became a favourite in the pack. She did all the meals and played with the children. She had been invaluable. Then Haru had noticed that she had started getting close to Basco-nii san. She had warned Ling Mei about Basco. The girl had simply blushed and not said anything about it. A few weeks later, there were strange marks on her arms and around her shoulders. She also looked a little more drawn and haggard. Eventually, she stopped talking to Haru altogether.

It had been a little disconcerting. Even the children avoided her a lot more. She came back worse and worse. It seemed that the light she had inside of her had died more and more with every day that she spent with Basco. Haru watched her from afar feeling pity for her friend. There had to be a way to help her out without getting on Basco's bad side. No matter what, Ling Mei had been her friend.

Before she could do anything about it, Basco had announced that Ling Mei was no longer welcome to the pack. She had left them to join the brothel on the other end of town. That was usually a pack rule – you weren't to join any establishment without letting the pack leader know and doing so anyway made you officially out of the pack. Haru doubted Ling Mei had gone there of her own will. The whole idea of it broke Haru's heart; and that was the very last that Haru had heard of her.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

It had been the last Haru had heard of her, until now. As she read through the description again, she was convinced that the girl they meant was Ling Mei; black hair, blue eyes, one scar across her shoulder, an old scar across her legs and a black birthmark on her left ankle. How many people did she know to fit that description? There weren't many in Namimori.

What kind of torture had she undergone to meet such a grim end? It made Haru sick to think that she had suffered through all this and not been able to find help. She put down the paper with a shaking hand and backed away from the table.

Basco had been involved in the whole debacle. She was sure of it – as sure as she knew her own name. And now she was a part of the investigation no doubt. Hibari-sama was not evil like the other police men. He was good and kind... but he was also just. There was no verification that she would not rot in prison for being part of the crime. Even though she hadn't know about it, she had probably helped Basco with one or two of his missions. No wonder Ling Mei had left the pack so suddenly.

He was truly the scum of the earth. And now he dared to put Haru and possibly Fuuta at risk with his schemes? No, this had to stop. It had to end with her. She would not see Fuuta meet such an end. She had to do something to stop him. But what could she do? What should she do? She went to stand beside the table again lost in thought.

Hibari-sama came back into the room in a hurry. It seemed he had to leave again. Haru had enough presence of mind to smile and give him a curtsy before he left the room. If he noticed anything amiss with her demeanour, he said nothing. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts anyway.

As soon as the door shut behind him, she crumpled to the floor weak with shock and horror. So this was the Basco she had suspected all these years; this was the part of him that she hadn't known before. Had she accepted Basco's advances, would she be sharing a shallow grave with Ling Mei? Who knew what went on inside his twisted mind?

After a while, she weakly got up and paced the room.

She was jumping to conclusions. She had to verify the information. She had to know for sure that Basco was responsible. Perhaps he himself had no idea about it and Ling Mei had chosen to go to the brothel by herself. Then perhaps she had fallen prey to the wrong kind of person? A million thoughts ran through her head. She would get no answers until she went to town the next day. She would be on her own this time.

As long as she was careful, she would get all the answers she needed.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru barely slept all night. All her actions since her discovery had been very mechanical. Not even the thought of spending time with Hibari-sama could snap her out of her thoughts. In any case, he didn't come back until the early hours of the morning by which time she was already up and preparing to leave for the market. It was just as well. She couldn't bear to be around him just yet. Not until she had confirmed her worst fears.

Getting her small purse together and hiding it in her pocket, she went down to the kitchens to get Akira-san and the cook's instructions. She noted everything she had to buy. She couldn't let anything distract her from her mission. The moment she was done with the shopping, she would go on to see what she could find out about Ling Mei and what connection Basco had with her disappearance and probably her death.

Akira-san noticed her grim features and wondered at the wisdom of sending her out alone like this. Mari-san was clearly up to something. Perhaps she should send a guard with her just in case. She decided to do so without her knowledge. There was no telling what she was up to and until and unless there was someone with her, Akira-san would never find out. She could be in danger besides. One could never be too careful with these girls.

She knew that life outside was hard and Mari-san's history was still a mystery. The little one seemed to be adjusting to house life well but even he wouldn't divulge her secrets. Perhaps he didn't know them at all. Whatever the case, it was high time Akira intervened and so she called aside one of the footmen the moment Mari-san was out of sight.


	28. Chapter 28

**This is perhaps one of the darker chapters I have written so far, but it had to be done. I will attempt to move on to slightly happier things but you have been forewarned. Things get real in this chapter. You may want to have a tissue handy. Please let me know what you think? Many thanks :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

The market was a hub of activity. There was a lot going on as always but it was all drowned out in the face of what Haru had to do. Her stomach was in knots. What if Basco had really done it? What would she do then? And she had to be very surreptitious when she questioned him. She couldn't give him a reason to be suspicious of her. He must not know that she suspected him of anything or her whole plan would fail. God only knew if she would make it back to the house if that happened.

She thought better of leaving on her own and decided this was the best way. She couldn't get anything done with an escort. She moved from stall to stall bargaining here and making a deal there. Outwardly, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with her. She watched out for Basco's signal and ducked into an alleyway where she met with him.

"I see you have come again. Tell me, how is life in the big house?" he asked testing the weight of her purse. She did not bother replying to the taunt. "Such an obedient little girl; Looks like I don't have to get rid of you after all. You are still one of us."

"Like Ling Mei?" she asked. That stopped him. His smile faded for a moment but only for a moment then returned more sinister and menacing than before. He stepped towards her and she took a step back. There wasn't much room for escape so she had her back up against the wall in that one step. He closed the distance between them and tipped up her chin. Haru tried to look away but he forced her to face him.

"I don't know how much you know, lovely Haru-chan, but you would be safer if you didn't stick your nose in other people's business. Ling Mei is gone. That's all you need to know." With a smirk, he released her and raised the hand with her purse as he waved goodbye. "I'll be waiting for the next payment." With that final word, he was gone.

Haru put a hand over her hammering heart. She had confirmed that he knew something about Ling Mei's mysterious disappearance. Basco was a lot more evil than she could ever have imagined him to be. Now Haru had two options. She could either do as Basco said and leave things as they were or she could go to the brothel and try to find out something. It was quite a way away, but she still had some time.

Steeling herself, she went out the other end of the alley and headed towards the darkest parts of town. There was only one brothel on that side of town. It was the cheapest one and many young girls had been forced into it at a rather early age. There was not much one could do to survive and this was more or less a job like any other. Times were hard. Haru herself had been asked to join them but had flat out refused. Something on the nuns' teachings about purity had stuck and she had resolved that she would rather starve.

Keeping an eye out, she made her way across the street thankful that the population had thinned out somewhat. She didn't stand out either. There were many servants who did their business in this part of town so it was perfect. She gave a quick look around and, satisfied that she wasn't followed, went round the back to the door that she knew was there. She went to the window a few paces to the left of that and rapped twice then once then twice again in the code that one of the women there knew well.

The door swung open and the woman stepped out.

"Is that you Haru? What in God's good name are you doing here? You haven't got yourself into any more trouble have you? I told you last time…"

"No Julietta, that isn't it. I have come for… for something else."

"Are you joining us then? I thought you wouldn't mix with us poor and lowly sinners," she said not unkindly. Haru smiled and shook her head.

"No. I need information on a friend of mine. I was told she came here and I wanted to know if… if she's alright." Julietta regarded the girl before her for a moment before making up her mind.

"Very well, I'll help you if I can." She led Haru to a back room careful to steer her away from the halls where she might be seen. "So this friend of yours, how old is she? When did she come here? We have a few new arrivals here so I might know of her." Shutting the door behind Haru, Julietta went to sit on her stool and began to change her outfit.

She was one of the older women of the establishment. She had joined as a young girl no older than Haru was when she had been asked. As a foreigner, she was very popular among the patrons. She had not found any way out and had remained all this while.

Still, she had been the one to allow Haru to reject the offer of her own free will since she had understood the consequences of making such a decision. They had remained somewhat cordial since that time and Haru had come to visit as often as she could get away from the pack – though not since Ling Mei.

"She had to have come here maybe two or three years ago. She had long black hair and very blue eyes. She… she also had a birthmark on her left ankle."

Julietta stopped her movements and turned to regard Haru. "How do you know her?" The question was not a friendly one. Clearly this information wouldn't come easily.

"She was my friend… in the pack. Basco…" Julietta spat at that and Haru stopped. She was clearly upset.

"Curse that boy and his ways. The world is a much worse place because of people like him." She said no more and kept arranging her hair. She hadn't said she wouldn't say anything so Haru sat quietly and waited for her to finish. Julietta put the finishing touches to her make-up then went to get a robe from the small wardrobe in the corner and warped it around her.

"Ling Mei… was it?" she asked startling Haru out of her thoughts. Haru looked up and nodded. Julietta sighed. "I am only telling you this because it is you that has asked. You must be careful who you share this with and I will deny it if you say I told you. You know how good I am at that." Haru nodded again and Julietta sat gracefully back down in her chair.

"She did come here, yes. That cur, Basco, brought her here and sold her to the boss saying she was a useless stray. Poor girl, I don't think she expected this. She was very numb that first night. It was hard to watch her afterwards. There was already so little of her and she wouldn't eat. The boss didn't like that so he wanted to teach her a lesson. She wasn't the same afterwards…" Tears already sprung to Julietta's eyes as she continued to speak.

"She got better for a bit so I thought… we all thought that would be it. That little bastard must have contacted the boss again because he came back with a big man I hadn't seen before and haven't seen since. He took one look at her and smiled like a hungry man that had just seen a nice piece of meat. He paid the boss a very pretty penny for her a few months ago and then we never heard from her again. It's only later that I heard from the grapevine that she had been one of the others… the ones they found in the field." Here she paused and gave Haru a sad little smile.

"Crop Children they call them. Other people call them crop angels. I rather think our pretty Ling Mei is an angel, no?"

Haru nodded weakly and let her words sink in for a moment. Ling Mei had met with a terrible fate and Basco had seemingly been there right up to the very end. Julietta laid a hand on Haru's shoulder and dabbed at her face with a soft handkerchief. Haru hadn't even realised she had been crying,

"Many girls don't last very long here. You made the right choice, Haru my love," she said gently. She stood with her back facing Haru and took off her robe. Haru had seen it before numerous times but Julietta's back was riddled with scars. The reality of it all came rushing at her all at once and she sobbed. What had Ling Mei gone through? And now that she knew, what was she going to do about it?

That had been the big question from the moment she left the house and even now she had no idea. All she knew was that she needed to return to safety. She needed to get out of town and behind a guarded gate. If she did that then she could gather her thoughts. She stood up slowly. She had to go back.

"Thank you Julietta," she said quietly, "I'll go back the way I came."

"Be safe Little Spring."

She had said it in a bit of a sad voice. Clearly the incident had been a blow for Julietta as well. And now that Haru knew about it, she would have to be very careful with her information. Taking care not to be seen, she made her way out of the building and into the street.

She didn't look left or right, paid heed to nobody and nothing around her. She had to get back. That was all she knew.

She had to get back to the house.


	29. Chapter 29

**Hi again. I'm actually proud of myself for this chappie and for that last review that finally got me up to 70 reviews. There is no user name; it just states "Guest". Thank you so much for that. Anyway, enjoy reading this chapter and chapter 30 should be up soon. Please let me know what you think? Many thanks.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

Basco left Haru in the alleyway hefting the purse in his hands. Best to hide it so it didn't seem like he had stolen it. Haru had a strange look in his eyes and one he didn't particularly like. He liked having a steady income from her. The purse was heavy. That meant she was paid well. And in turn so would he.

But he hadn't liked the direction her questions had taken at all.

He turned the corner into another alleyway where he had left his two cronies Sadiq and Nori. They both stood as he approached.

"How did it go?" asked Nori. He had always been extremely loyal to Basco.

"You tell me," said Basco tossing him the coin purse. Nori whistled and laughed.

"Good one Boss, we should have it good for a while on all this," he said. Sadiq said nothing as usual. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. When he did speak though, it was always to say something that made him sound much older than he really was. Besides Basco, he was the oldest pack member and always had a wealth of information for anyone who asked for it. A bookworm since he could remember, he was probably also the smartest there was.

"I have a job for you two. Our little Spring is asking one too many questions. I want her stopped."

"Boss?" said Nori handing back the purse.

"Get rid of her. I can't have her messing up my plans. No, better yet, bring her to me. The moment she gets the urge to squeal, we'll all be up the river, you know?"

"So… so we won't get any mow money? Aw, why did she have to get so nosey?" said Nori kicking at some dirt.

"I don't care about the money. I am the pack leader. I will always have money for my pack. She is a threat to my pack and all threats must be eliminated."

Nori nodded. Sadiq said nothing but he had clearly heard the order. The two turned and went back the way Basco had come. Basco went the other way. Now, what exactly was he going to do to his little Haru when she got to him? She knew that knowing too much was bad for her health. He had told her that before. And if she had wanted to know so much, she should have accepted his invitation into his inner circle when he had offered it. She should have gotten off her bloody high horse and agreed to be his girl. Ling Mei had only been a prop to try and make her jealous. But then she had outlived her purpose. And now he had to get rid of Haru because she was way too nosy. Stupid girl...

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru walked down the street in the "bad lands" as this part of town was commonly called. She no longer felt safe anywhere and the sooner she got back to the house, the better. She had only made it halfway to the main street when she was confronted by two figures in the alley. She knew them well. Both of them were loyal to Basco. She had no chance of escape.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Miss Pretty. Boss told us you would be trouble," said Nori grinning evilly. Beside him, Sadiq's features were stone. As usual he said very little.

She looked from one to the other, a sickening dread filling her every pore. She was too far away to run back to the brothel and she really didn't trust her strength over two boys – especially not pack members.

"You're coming with us," announced Nori. He took her arm forcefully and Sadiq took the other arm and they began marching her down a different route. Haru's heart sank. If she disappeared now, what would Hibari-sama think? Would he think she had abandoned him? Maybe he would eventually find her in a crop field and it would break his heart as well; and what about Fuuta? What did Basco want with her anyway?

Haru was a bit numb as she followed them. She barely heard the whisper by her right ear.

"Haru-chan, it's alright," it said. A moment later, Nori was knocked out cold. Sadiq stood over him and made sure he was truly unconscious so he wouldn't go blabbing to Basco.

"S... Sadiq, but why...?"

"Haru-chan still has pudding for brains," he said with a friendly smile as he touched her forehead. "Sadiq has always looked out for Haru-chan, don't you remember?"

Haru did remember. He had been watching her from afar for a while. He had been the big brother she had never had. He had taught her a lot of things – among them how to fight. She had him to thank for that move she pulled with the Kokuyo heir.

"What does Basco want with me?"

"Nothing good; you should get away from here as quickly as you can. I can handle the lapdog and Basco. You have to handle yourself, little one." Here he smiled a warm and gentle smile like he had back when he was allowed to spend more time with her. "You are being followed, no doubt by someone from your big house. He has been behind us for a while now. He wears a blue coat and black hat. Tell him to dress a little better next time or you will be in trouble. Go with him and be safe, Haru-chan."

With that, he wrapped his hand around her neck as if planning to choke her.

"What are you doing?" she asked panicking at once.

"I still need something to show Basco," he said. Sure enough, the man came running up and Haru recognised him as one of the guards from the house. He had been exactly as Sadiq had said. He grabbed Sadiq by the collar and gave him a punch to the face. He went down and Haru was quickly dragged away from the scene. Sadiq could have easily avoided that. He'd done it on purpose. He was still protecting Haru.

Her breath was coming in short gasps. Not only had she had one hell of a morning but now she had been accosted as well.

"How... how did you know to follow me?"

"Akira-san asked me." He said no more until they were safely out in the main street and on their way back to the house.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru had never been so glad to see the house. She had thought she might never get to see it again. She was so relieved she actually dropped her basket and hugged Akira-san when she saw her. The older woman looked puzzled and glanced up at the guard. He gave a little nod and she looked back down at the maid who was now sobbing in relief in her arms.

Well, she could allow this much. It wasn't like she didn't have children of her own. Patting her head like she would a child, Akira-san wrapped her arms around Mari-san and let her have her cry. Things must have been terrible. She thanked the guard and led Haru away from the kitchens and up to her room. She was glad the girl was safe. Her instinct had not been wrong. She was glad it hadn't failed her yet. But what could have caused her such agony? She could find out from Mari herself.

"Here now, what happened to you Mari-san?" she asked in a gentle voice. Haru wasn't sure she'd heard right. Akira-san looked a lot more different as well. She wiped her tears and sighed. She had a lot to tell and very little she actually could tell, but there was no doubt that she needed advice.

"I... I can't say. I think I am in trouble... and I may put everyone here in danger. I need to leave this place."

The last came out whispered. Akira-san regarded her. Whether or not she was telling the truth, there was still a lot she wasn't saying. She could simply be trying to get out of working there. Otherwise, she was Hibari-sama's maid and he wouldn't take kindly to her disappearing. She pointed this out and Haru nodded sobbing a little more as she did so. Akira-san patted her shoulder a little awkwardly and left the room. Haru curled up on her bed, the weight of the morning's events almost physically crushing her.

She knew that leaving would be hard. She had made something of herself here. A lot more than she had thought she would. She had hated the work, but being around Hibari-sama had made it a little better. And if she just left, he would definitely get the wrong idea. She had to give him some notice – something to clear her name at the very least to him. But she couldn't tell him in person. He would never let her go.

She had no idea how far Basco would go but she didn't dare assume this would be the end of it. The next time Sadiq may not have an opening except to openly defy Basco. Neither would Hime-chan or the others. This time, Haru had to take care of things herself.


	30. Chapter 30

**Hi there everyone. I know I have a whole lot to apologise for. I have been having one of the worst cases of writer's block EVER. I do hope you will forgive me. With this chapter, I also hope I have put my writer's block to rest. Here's to hoping I type up mre chappies soon. Till then, I hope you enjoy this one. Please let me know what you think? Many thanks :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim rights to any of the characters and/or locations in this fanfiction story you may recognize from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

She had already packed everything she would need in a small pack which she attached to her pants. She had somehow managed to get a pair that nobody would miss. They were not a proper fit but she didn't care. She wasn't looking for comfort so much as practically acceptable clothing.

It was still dark out and if she managed to get past the guards, she would be out of their hair and out of their lives. She would leave and not turn back. Basco would find out soon enough that she wasn't there and come after her. He would leave Fuuta alone and he would definitely not get himself involved with Hibari-sama.

She took one last look around the room that had had just begun to be something of a haven to her. She had actually begun to think of this as home…

But that was enough time wasted. The first of the servants must surely be getting up soon. She had barely slept herself. Once she had made up her mind to leave, she had been bombarded by a thousand feelings at once – all of which kept her half awake through the night. She was sad to be leaving, heartbroken over what Hibari-sama would think of her, angry that she was going to be doing something so cowardly, despair because her hands were tied… All she knew was that she wasn't in the least bit happy about it.

She peered into the hallway. Nobody was about. She could just see in the dim moonlight. Slowly and carefully, she headed first towards Hibari-sama's room. She didn't dare leave him a note. It was better for him to forget her. He liked kissing her, she knew, and she liked kissing him too. A relationship between them was very far-fetched however. There would probably have been nothing between them even if she stayed.

She pressed her lips ever so gently to the door, ran her fingers over it twice and turned her back on it. She had made her goodbye. Fuuta would have either wanted to come or cried if she woke him up now so she didn't dare. He was the one she would regret leaving most, but she was sure Hibari-sama and Takeshi-sama would care for him well. He would live a good life – the one she was never sure she could give him.

She got to the stairs and started making her way down. She was careful to avoid the squeaky step too and heaved a silent sigh of relief when she got to the ground. Next came the hard part – making her way out of the house.

Both inside and out, guards were on patrol. Since Hibari-sama was the head of security in the area, there was no doubt that nobody would be slacking off. They would all take their duties as seriously as he would. She smiled now to think how afraid she had been of him that first time they met. It would be hard to forget him. He would be a comfort to her when she thought of giving up.

What to do about Basco was a whole other problem she hadn't thought about yet. If she left and he followed her, what could she do? How was she going to defend herself against him? She would still end up in a crop field at the rate she was going. But she could make her plans on the road. She was clever. She had no doubt about that. What she couldn't think up now, she would come up with later.

She pressed herself against a wall and behind a curtain as some guards walked by. She held her breath as they stood for five seconds, then ten then finally began to walk away. Haru didn't dare utter a sound. She had come too far to be caught here. She made her way to the kitchen and only then did she allow herself to breathe easily.

She looked around. The kitchen, usually so busy and bustling with life was cold and dark now. She had learned to belong here. She felt safe and happy here, but not any more. She was surprised by tear that rolled down her cheek. It was quickly followed by another and another. She pressed her hands to her lips to stifle her sobs.

Crouching behind a counter, she thought of all she was about to lose. She was going to be all alone without any of these friendly faces to give her strength. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice spoke out of the darkness.

"You don't have to leave, you know."

Akira-san lit the candle next to her and bent next to Haru. She had been so startled she had lost her balance and fallen backwards onto her bottom. The older woman didn't smile but her gaze was much softer and more understanding than Haru had ever seen it.

"You were thinking 'I'm going to be all alone now. I have to do this and there will be no going back,' right?"

Haru blinked. She had read her mind perfectly.

"Now you are wondering how I know this." Haru could only nod. She had just read Haru's mind again.

"Let us just say I do," she replied cryptically. "I knew someone who was the same. To protect what she loved, she left it behind. She was fierce and she was loyal and very brave. This time, something scared her more than she could imagine, but she didn't want anyone to be hurt because of her. So she ran."

Haru was quiet. She wasn't sure why Akira-san was being this open or this nice. She was curious about the girl in the story as well as a little suspicious.

"It has been many years and she has not seen her friends or her family. They are safe and have already taken away the thing that scared her but she has been gone too long. 'Maybe they have changed too much to accept me' she might think, 'I don't belong there any more…' she would tell herself things like that."

Here she turned to face Haru fully. "Here now, I give you a choice Mari-san. If you run, it is my duty to tell Hibari-sama and he will not be happy. Be assured he will find you and bring you back. You will not be able to hide for very long. If you stay, I can promise you will have a lot of people beside you and your problem can and probably will be solved faster."

Haru thought about that for a moment. She hadn't thought of it that way before. She certainly hadn't wanted to include anyone in her problem since she didn't want anyone getting hurt on her account.

"Do… do you think so?"

Akira-san stood up and helped her to her feet. She patted her head once in an uncharacteristic show of gentleness. "I know so." Holding her hands demurely in front of her, Akira-san became the stern housekeeper once more. "Now, it is late and we should both retire. I expect you well-dressed and ready for your duties by the proper time. When you have finished your morning duties, you and I shall have a proper talk about what is really bothering you, then we shall go and see Hibari-sama about your problem."

Haru smiled brightly. "Yes Akira-san," she said and gave her a bow.

She was still very worried about Basco. What would he do to her now? Would she really get all the support she needed from the rest of the household? And if she was going to see Hibari-sama in the morning, would Akira-san tell him she had tried to run away. She most likely would. Haru hoped she wouldn't but Akira-san's loyalties lay with the house so she wasn't too hopeful on that front.

She was surprised to feel a great weight lifted off her shoulders. She had hated having to leave more than she had thought she would. She got back to her room without the guards seeing her. She carefully put away her things again and climbed into bed. Nobody would know just how close she had come to leaving except her and Akira-san and maybe Hibari-sama the next morning.

As she closed her eyes and drifted off to a restful sleep, she couldn't help the smile on her face.


	31. Chapter 31

**Hi everyone! I thought I should update this story a little more this week. I need to prod my imagination a bit, I think and I am using this as a sort-of excuse to do so. All the same, I really hope you like this chapter. Please let me know what you think? Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations you may recognize from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

Hibari gave an irritated grunt and tried once more to go back to sleep. He'd had very little of that lately. The investigation was crucial and took up a lot of his time and concentration. Much as he would have liked to simply pass out the moment he got to bed, he was hardly that lucky. He had slept for all of three or four hours before he had woken up again and couldn't seem to get back to sleep.

With a sigh, he rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Beyond the information he had gathered from Xanxus, he had very little to go on. The docks were definitely the key to ending this whole business, but he had to be careful.

Someone in the government of Namimori was involved in this. There was no set pattern to choosing the children, but most of these seemed to be orphans and lost children. Some were kidnapped from their homes and some were plucked off the street. What was clear, from the state of the bodies, was than none of these children had an easy life. To meet such a fate at such a young age… he had to get to the bottom of this somehow.

He had posted a mole in the official ranks of the docks. All he could do was wait for the report to come in. So far he had received what reports had been submitted but nothing more. He had looked through the names of the individual officials in charge and their background documentation. He had looked through the files of every officer on the premises for the last five years and still came up with nothing.

There had to be more to this and whoever was behind this was covering their tracks up well. The real mystery lay at the docks and short of posting watch there and raising suspicion he had no idea what to do. Knowing that some of the officials were corrupt put a damper on that plan because they would immediately alert the person in charge and they would no doubt find some other way to get the children away.

He heaved another heavy sigh as the rays of the morning sun finally hit his bedroom window. He would get no more sleep this night. He was going to meet with one of his most trusted officers, Kusakabe, and try to come up with a plan for both bypassing and stopping the corrupt officials and still catching the one in charge.

A soft knock on the door brought a smile to his lips. She was here and he could at least get a bit of distraction from his grim thoughts.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Haru took a deep breath trying to calm her rioting nerves. She shouldn't show any fear or she would look completely suspicious. The last thing she wanted was for him to suspect her of having been up to anything. Would he be upset if he found out she had tried to leave? What a question! Of course he would be upset. Romantic notions aside, she was still serving her time and she was his personal maid. Of course he would be upset. She would very happily put off that particular discussion until she absolutely had to face it.

She pushed open the door when she was welcomed into the room. She flushed slightly. She was getting shy around him too. What a sight she must look. No, she shouldn't look coy. She should look reservedly happy. Yes, that was it. She would have a professional smile on her face – like the ones waitresses in restaurants or shops used. Yes, that would be a good idea…

She nearly dropped her tray when she finally saw him sitting on the bed. He had completely disregarded his sleeping clothes – or at least the top half. She hoped to God he had the sense to not be naked in bed. Flushing ten shades of red, she turned away and murmured good morning.

"Hahi!" she gasped clutching the tray to her chest as he swept aside the covers and swung his legs out of the bed. She turned away before she could see anything and tried to calm her furiously beating heart.

She heard him pad across the floor towards her and stood helplessly facing the wall. What was he going to do? She would drop the tray and Akira-san would surely be upset with her, never mind the near escape not five hours before. He was standing right behind her now.

Well, she really shouldn't be feeling this way. She had seen plenty of naked chests in the past. Oh how her packmates would laugh if they could see her now. She squared her shoulders and turned, determined that if he wouldn't cover up, she wouldn't bother to show she was affected. She was doubly relieved and happy to note he at least had pants on.

Hibari smirked when she turned. Her face was a very fetching shade of red and her eyes showed all the embarrassment she obviously felt.

"Mari-san."

"Y…yes Hibari-s…sama?" She cursed inwardly at the tremor in her voice. She had meant it to be calm and unaffected. There was no disguising it now. They hadn't actually seen each other since the day before last when he'd had to rush out suddenly.

He took a step forward now and she took one behind, her back coming immediately into contact with the door. She felt it with a start and the dishes on her tray rattled. The look he gave her warmed her right down to her toes and she wondered what it was about him that had her heart all fluttery. He carefully lifted the tray from her hands and set it down on the counter. She watched the tray and then the hand that set it there.

It rose again now to the door on one side of her head. The other stayed at his side. He wasn't exactly smiling any more and her heart was thumping a furious beat.

"A… ano… Hi… Hibari-s… sama…" she began. He didn't reply but inched his face ever so close to hers. She knew what was coming and both dreaded and craved it. They had not kissed in a while and while she missed it, she still wasn't so sure there could really be anything between them.

The more he kissed her, the more she started to believe in those silly fantasies. Did he really like her or did he like kissing her? She didn't know and right then, she couldn't really think about anything else. His other hand touched her waist and her eyes widened a little more. He really was going to do it, wasn't he?

His face came closer to hers and she shut her eyes. She didn't know what to expect. When his lips moved to graze her cheek instead, her eyes flew open in question. A deep chuckle sounded by her ear sending shivers scampering down her body all the way to her toes. He lifted his face to look at her expression, another smirk on his lips.

She was finding it a little more difficult to breathe with his proximity.

"Et…eto… Hib… Hibari-sama's breakfast…"

Before she could continue, his lips were pressed against hers. Her surprise immediately fell away the moment he licked her lips giving way to something else, something deeper and more demanding. Pressing her against the door, he slowly deepened the kiss. The hand around her waist tightened as she responded and her sigh got her a grunt of approval.

Finding her courage, finally, she lifted her hands to his shoulders. One hand made its way into his hair as the kiss swept them off deliriously into their own little world. Haru had little time to think of stopping him when he nipped at her neck. At her gasp, he pressed his lips to that spot sending more little shivers running all over.

She made a little mewling noise that seemed to draw his attention back to what he was doing.

He stopped and raised his face so he could look at her again. She was flushed and a little dazed. He would like nothing more, really, than to pick up where they left off, but that would be taking a step too far. He had much more discipline than that even though it was in danger of crumbling to dust every time he kissed her.

It was still too soon after her heart break besides. But he was drawing her feelings his way at least, he thought. He gave her one more kiss then strode off to the bathroom to begin his day leaving Haru slumped against the door for support.

She pressed her hands to her cheeks. She could hardly face the rest of the servants now. She must be the colour of a nice ripe apple now. She sighed and pushed away from the door the moment she felt the strength return to her legs.

Immediately she made herself busy making the bed, picking out his clothes for the day and setting his tray on the table. When that was done, she took the dirty laundry and set it by the door. She worked quickly and diligently. She couldn't stay there. The moment he was done with his bath, he would come out again and God only know what he would do to her then. No, she had to leave. She would come for the breakfast tray later.

With a last glance to see that everything was in order, she picked up the laundry and left the room desperately trying to ignore the tingle still humming through her system.


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey everyone! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I do like this new direction the story is taking. I hope you like it too. I am also feeling the familiarly pleasant stirrings of my imagination coming back. Let's hope it stays that way. Please let me know what you think? Many thanks!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fanfiction story that you may recognize from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

Haru was working like a woman possessed. She had done all the laundry, helped beat the rugs, fed the pigs (she had received it as a punishment from Akira-san and thankfully none of the other servants had been surprised enough at this to ask why), dusted the front room, waxed the floor, helped cook with the dishes and even now was helping to catch some chickens that had gotten out of their hutch.

She laughed as the one she had caught squawked at her angrily and flapped its wings. The grateful maid who had let them go in the first place joined in the laughter as her own chicken tried to peck at her fingers. Haru helped her put the chicken back and then went in search of Akira-san for more work to do.

To say that Akira-san was surprised at her gusto was an understatement. She wondered if maybe she was trying to prove a point since she had been caught running away or if maybe she was sick. She never worked this diligently unless she was promised a punishment should she fail to do so.

Akira-san gave her another task and watched her as she rushed off to complete it. Well, whatever the case, it was a blessing for the household. She had not gotten into trouble for the moment and that was worth being thankful for.

Hibari-sama had been in meetings all morning and so hadn't had a moment to spare for what Akira-san had wanted to discuss. The confession would be put off for another day and for that Haru was extremely grateful. That was not why she worked, however.

Whenever she found herself drifting off into a daydream, she found herself flushing at memories of that morning. That constantly drew a blush from her that she was loath to explain so she brought her mind back to her tasks with fervour. It was amusing to watch no doubt but she was constantly on edge. Perhaps she would be called to Akira-san so they could talk to him in the next moment. Maybe he would come for her himself… no, that wasn't very likely.

She was a bundle of nerves almost all day until Akira-san mentioned that Hibari-sama would be busy all day. She calmed down a little, but then the memories surfaced and she went looking for something else to help with. It was a long and tiring day. She hadn't even been called into Hibari-sama's office once all day. Maybe he was still dealing with the case of the children. She bit her lip feeling a little guilty for withholding the information she had. Surely she should give Ling Mei a chance to have her killers brought to justice so she could rest in peace.

She finished her task trying to work out whether she should seek an audience with him now or wait until she went to see him with Akira-san. She would have to explain how she knew what she knew. That gave her a little more to worry about. Still, it was the right thing to do. No matter what happened to her, she could, at the very least, help Ling Mei find peace in the afterlife.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Hibari frowned over the report he had just received. Kusakabe continued recounting the details he had received from the mole as he passed him another document containing more names of the men in charge of the docks.

"Given the nature of the killings and the secrecy, he suggests that if we are to act, we do so with caution. There has been no more transportation as far as he can tell but we cannot be sure at all for the moment. There is something stirring, he is sure of it but besides that, all dock activities are continuing as usual."

Hibari placed the report on the desk besides all the other papers he had received. This was not going as well as he had hoped it would. There had to be some way to get that information and prevent even more children from disappearing.

He hated to admit it, but this time he needed help. It had to come from those he could trust and they had all been present at the party. Having known most of those men from childhood, they had formed a strange but strong bond with each other. Hibari had never asked for help from any of them; it was always they that needed his help. He sighed and gave Kusakabe his instructions. He had to begin writing the letters and have them ready to post before long.

He couldn't wait much longer because every moment counted when lives were at risk.

With that job done, he sent the letters off with Kusakabe and several other footmen. There was no doubt in his mind that they would come. Now it was just a matter of time before his plan went into action.

He sighed and leaned back against his chair. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. It had been a long day and it had demanded all of his concentration. He had looked through various reports and seen the documents of each of the men posted there. There was a list of those suspected to be corrupt and those that were not.

Suspicion was very little to go on. He needed solid proof before he could bring the criminals to justice and just flushing out a few would do little in the way of drawing them out. He needed a little more incentive. He needed a little more to go on. Just a little and he would have enough to break this case.

A knock brought him out of his dreary thoughts. He welcomed whomever it was and was somewhat disappointed when he saw his brother.

"I take it you expected someone else?" he said with a smile.

Hibari slumped back into his chair not bothering to reply.

"Father is worried about you Kyoya. You've been running yourself ragged these past few weeks. Is it the investigation?"

Hibari nodded again still saying nothing but letting out a properly frustrated sigh. "I have a lot more to do before I can rest easy."

"I heard. It really is terrible. Is there anything I can do to help? You know I'm always ready to do so if you want."

Hibari gave him a small smile. Takeshi was eager to help whenever it came to an investigation. He was about to politely reject the offer when he thought of something. There may actually be a way to tie all this together, he thought getting a sudden brain wave. Takeshi, as a diplomat, would know quite a bit about the other government officials – certainly more than the head of security.

"I suppose I could use some help," he said finally. Giving Takeshi a list of things he needed done, the younger man smiled and promised to get to work on it.

"I don't need to emphasise the importance of this," he said seriously. Takeshi smiled and shook his head.

"I will take care of it. Have a little faith in your little brother, nee?"

Hibari leaned back in his chair feeling a little relieved. He trusted Takeshi at least to get this over with. Once he had the necessary information, Hibari could properly decide how to move from there.

"Ah, I almost forgot what I came here for." Hibari raised an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm only the messenger. You know father is held up at the Vongola mansion with work. He said to tell you that there will be another gathering in a week and he knows you're busy but he wants you there."

That made Hibari suspicious. There was something behind this invitation and he had a feeling he knew just what it was. Takeshi's grin confirmed his suspicion somewhat.

"I knew you wouldn't like it so I didn't want to tell you but I suppose you've guessed already," Takeshi continued somewhat resignedly, "he's found a girl he wants you to meet."


	33. Chapter 33

**Hey everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting. I've had a bit of a busy week this week, but at least I got a chance to update. I hope you like it. I've included a back-story on Basco which I also hope you like. Please let me know what you think? Many, many thanks to all my fans!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

Haru was very upset by the time she climbed into bed. Fuuta had come back with Takeshi-sama from a long stay away and she was glad to see him. She hadn't realized just how tired she had been when the little one had launched into her and nearly sent them both tumbling to the ground. He was talking up a storm about all the things he had seen and showed her what Takeshi-sama had taught him.

She smiled watching him thrust with an imaginary sword. He still wasn't nearly old enough to receive proper training, but she was glad that Takeshi-sama indulged him if only a bit. It seemed he was more of a companion than help. Haru would really not have it any other way. She had spent a good amount of time listening to his stories when Akira-san had asked her to carry Hibari-sama's meal up to him.

Hibari-sama was in a foul mood and would not even say two words to her. Feeling a little affronted, she had opted to be cool and polite which was a good idea… that served to only make things worse. She had come from his office with her pride stinging and her temper flaring. She had carried the dishes to the kitchen and not bothered to look for Akira-san again. She had gone straight to her room and now sat staring at the wall in a huff.

She looked out of her window with a sigh. Whatever it was, it would probably pass by the morning. A good night's sleep cured a case of a bad mood right up. She had noticed, however, that he didn't seem to be sleeping well. Was the investigation not going according to plan? That would make a lot of sense then. He was tired and therefore cranky.

That had to be it. She was still the help besides. She shouldn't forget that and think she would now get special treatment since he showed interest in her. She would just brush it off and if he was still in a mood in the morning, she would treat him exactly as she should – as civilly and politely as a maid greeting her master.

That would probably only make him even more grumpy. It served him right anyway. It was a bad habit of his to take out his frustrations on all and sundry.

She hadn't expected to be given special treatment by any means. Truth be told, she really didn't expect much from this relationship they had, if she could even call it that. So far, she only knew that he liked to kiss her and she really liked kissing him. That was the long and short of it.

She smiled thinking about him again. It hadn't been all that long but her attitude had definitely changed towards him. Where she couldn't have waited to get away from him when she had first started working for him, now whatever he had done, she couldn't really stay mad at him for long. As far as his horrible temper went, however, he was more like a certain goon she would as soon forget.

She had never really thought of Basco and Hibari-sama sharing any traits – not really. They were both domineering and liked to have things done their way. They both had a quick temper too, but that's where the similarities ended. Beyond that, they were as different as night and day.

Hibari was quieter and didn't have to announce his presence to the room, you felt it. He carried himself with the sort of air you'd expect of a noble, but he never looked down on anyone – not particularly anyway. Basco would like to be the centre of attention. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way but the glint in his eyes was rather dangerous. It hadn't always been like that…

She thought seriously about Basco now. He was turning out to be a big part of this investigation. There was no doubt in her mind now that he was. She shuddered and hugged her shoulders thinking of all the things she had been blissfully unaware that he was capable of. To think of poor Ling-Mei suffering like that all because of Basco…

What was his motive anyway? There had to be a reason he would betray his pack mates to such an extent. When Haru had been new to the pack, she had felt welcomed and maybe even loved. Basco had indeed blackmailed her into entering the pack, but she had recognized that he had been teasing her. She had been flattered and even a bit shy to be receiving praise from a guy like him. Even with all the mistrust she had garnered from her life until then, she had no doubt he had been a good person.

He played with the kids and took charge when there was a need. He had been the big brother she never had. She had held some affection for him too, but all of that was a long time ago. It seemed he had changed almost overnight.

He was always with Hime-chan when he went out. He trusted her the most and everyone knew this. However, when they had come back one day, Basco had changed. The glint in his eyes turned hard and he started getting gruff and snapping at everyone. It had been very strange. Nobody could accurately point out what had gone wrong. Basco didn't bother elaborating what had happened. Hime-chan probably knew best, but as usual, she said very little. Everyone in the pack had begun, by then, to grow wary of Basco-nii-chan.

It was a couple of weeks later that he had asked Haru to walk with him to a spot they liked to go to a lot by the river. She had followed him to the agreed-upon spot then he had turned to look her right in the eye when he asked her to join his inner-circle. She had been surprised he had asked. She wasn't particularly unsatisfied with her place in the pack. To be in Basco's inner circle had been the highest honour possible. She had been most afraid of what being in this inner circle might mean.

She had heard rumours among the pack members and none of them were good. A few of them had disappeared without a trace and Haru wanted no part in something as potentially sinister as that.

He had gotten very angry about her rejection and shouted something at her. Only a few minutes later had she realised that he had given her a confession. If he had asked her a few weeks before, she would have very happily considered agreeing to it. He had still been nice then. She wouldn't have minded being his girl. A girl on the streets could do a whole lot worse.

But he wasn't that Basco anymore. He had held her wrist so tightly she had been bruised for weeks afterwards and stared at her with crazed eyes. Very afraid of him now, she had rejected him again and that was when he had blown up.

She had seen it coming. His power in the pack was absolute but she had refused him. She expected his outburst. She had even anticipated the blows that would have landed on her face had she not trained with Sadiq. Even so, it was sheer dumb luck that had saved her.

Their relationship had never been the same again. He was constantly looking for reasons to pick on her or kick her out. She on the other hand was looking for a way out of the pack for her and Fuuta. If she could get enough money to leave, she would never have to deal with Basco again. At least, that had been the plan until she'd gotten caught and dragged into this house.

It had turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Fuuta was safe and she was earning a living doing meaningful work. She had friends here and felt, for the first in a long time, comfort at the thought of her being surrounded by people he could trust.

She couldn't betray that trust. She had to tell Hibari-sama what she knew. She would tell him first-thing in the morning, with or without Akira-san. She debated with herself over the advantages of waking him up to tell him what she knew right away and shook the thought out of her head. Considering the mood he had been in, he wouldn't want to be bothered. The morning would be soon enough.


	34. Chapter 34

**Hey everyone! Most of you were probably upset by the filler-chappie, I know. I'm sorry, I needed a bit of fodder for my muse. I hope you do like this chapter even though it's a bit short, but let me know what you think? Many, many thanks to all of your for your continued support :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and OCs and nothing else.**

Hibari had just stepped into his office when he noticed her. Mari-san had been waiting beside his desk for him. A little puzzled, he pulled the door closed behind him. She was wringing her fingers in an uncharacteristic show of nervousness. Well, it was no wonder given the way he had treated her the day before. Maybe he should apologise for it?

He paused for a moment to wonder when that had begun to become important to him. A scant three months before, he wouldn't have cared about her "tender sensibilities" in the least… But more importantly, what was it she had to say?

He leaned back against the door and folded his arms. He watched her fidget all the time waiting for her to get her gumption back and speak.

"Is there something you wanted from me Mari-san or are you just going to stand there?"

His voice came out a lot harder than he had intended. To her credit, it seemed that she hadn't lost her nerve after all. It seemed that comment had raised her own hackles and the look she gave him now confirmed it. She wasn't so meek any more or scared, it would seem.

"I didn't come here to be insulted. I do have something to say and it's difficult so if you'll give me a moment, I'll get to it!" She snapped before she caught herself. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She hadn't meant to lose her temper, but she was already so nervous about coming here on her own. She had even skipped the morning briefing with Akira-san after which they were to come up here together.

She had decided to stop being a coward and to come and make the effort on her own. She owed Ling-Mei that much. For her and all the other children that were missing and in trouble even now, she would be brave. She had been in the process of convincing herself of just that when he walked in and all her courage flew right out the window.

Now that he had made her upset by reminding her about the misery she'd had to endure the previous evening, she had lost her temper. They had started on the wrong foot completely and though she mostly blamed him, she had to take some responsibility for it too.

She chanced a look at him expecting to see his steely-eyed gaze boring into hers. Instead, he seemed to be amused at her outburst. She guessed none of the help had ever dared to snap at him like that and she had to wonder if she was in any danger now that she had.

No, she thought and fisted her hands at her sides despite this reassurance. It was a very good thing she hadn't come in with Akira-san. She would probably have bailed by now. By giving herself no alternative, she was making sure she didn't keep her information any longer.

"It... it's very important. I think... I think you should sit down."

He raised a brow at that but didn't say anything as he moved to his desk. He gestured towards one of the seats and she sat down. A few seconds later, she was up and pacing the length of the office.

"I need you to listen to everything I have to say. When I finish, then you can say whatever you want. I'm... I'm ready for it."

He had to wonder what exactly she thought he was going to do to her. It did seem to be serious and all the courage that had been there before seemed to be dwindling. She had changed expressions almost too quickly for him to keep up. All of her expressions appealed to him in some way, he realised. Even now as she nervously bit her lip and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, he couldn't help thinking how absolutely lovely she looked.

"It's about your investigation."

That most definitely caught his attention.

"I... I know something about the children... well, just one of them and I think... I might know who is getting the children in the first place."

Haru spent the next few minutes recounting exactly what she knew and how she found out. She mentioned the papers on his desk and the description of Ling Mei. Then she went on to explain how she ad found out about Basco. She casually left out the fact that she had been planning to run away. She would have to ask Akira-san if she would keep it secret. She had already presented the problem to Hibari-san and if he took care of it, there was no reason it ever needed to be mentioned again.

"So... so that's why Haru had to come and tell Hibari-sama what she knew."

When she finished, she slowly sat down in the chair she had previously vacated and wrung her fingers as she waited. He would definitely have questions for her. What was his expression like? Disappointment? Anger? She didn't know and she wasn't brave enough to try and find out just yet.

When he spoke again, it was to ask her a question. She answered all the questions he had and then there was silence. She heard his chair creak as he rose. She shut her eyes again and waited for his reaction. He took her hand. Her eyes flew open. It was rather silly of her but she hadn't expected him to be this gentle.

He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. For the longest moment, he simply held her in silence. Haru had to wonder what was wrong with him. He kissed her forehead once and murmured his thanks. Taking a step back, he pulled away from her then sent her back to her duties.

Haru wasn't going to be told twice. She walked straight out of the room completely missing the grin on his face despite her news. That had been the most nerve-wracking thing she had been through in her entire life! She leaned against the door once she had shut it and was safely in the hallway. She took a few calming breaths and went over everything she had told him. Had she remembered everything? There didn't seem to be anything she had left out...

Then her last words came back to her.

She had told him her name! She had gone right back into her nervous habit of referring to herself in the third person and given away her biggest secret. Smacking her palm against her forehead, she fought a blush as she made her way down to the kitchens.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

She obviously hadn't realised what she'd said. She noticed, partway through her speech, that she began referring to herself in the third person. It took a moment for him to understand since he had no idea who Haru was but when he realised it, he was genuinely pleased.

She had just given him a big break in the case and he couldn't be happier. Add that onto the fact that she had also given him her own name and it was understandable that he should be grinning like an idiot.

His happiness was short-lived however. That she had provided so much information on this Basco character meant that they had been in close relations. She suggested as much when she mentioned that he had asked her to join his inner circle. In her haste, she had added a few details he was sure she hadn't meant to. She had liked him at first. That made him a bit jealous to hear. He wasn't the same now, she had explained, but didn't mention much about her association with him from there.

It was odd that he should be irritated about that information. He shook his head. That was not important. He had to go and question the brothel owner albeit discreetly. He would also find someone to go into the underground and ferret out what information they could on Basco. He knew exactly who he wanted for exactly what task.

He sent word for Kusakabe to be summoned and set to work coming up with a proper plan of action. Lives were at stake and he had no idea just how powerful this official was. He was never one to underestimate an opponent. He had learned that lesson long ago. Leaving thoughts of "Haru" aside, he went straight to work.


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey everyone. Sorry this chapter is so late. I have been a bit preoccupied. The story seems to also have taken on a life of its own with the re-awakening of my muse, so prepare yourselves. I seem to be taking a bit of a dark turn here but it seems relevant to the story so please bear with me. I hope I have done the chapter justice. I need to type up the next one before it disappears from my head. All the same, please enjoy and let me know what you think? Many, many thanks to all of you.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR and claim no rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

The news came early in the morning. The messenger was Hibari-sama's man and he had a grim look on his face. It was clearly not good since Hibari-sama was in a black mood for the rest of the day. When Haru would step into the office to bring his meals or get his dishes, he barely spared her a glance. She wondered what might be wrong and knew it wasn't her business to pry, but when she was called into the office again to recount her story to Hibari-sama's man, she began to wonder.

Hibari-sama still wasn't looking at her. He stood at the window looking out. His stance was rigid. That didn't exactly bode well. Maybe the investigation was not going so well. Maybe things had gone from bad to worse. Should she have said anything at all? She couldn't back down now that she had elected to volunteer the information.

She sat demurely in the seat she was offered, tried to look as calm as she could and faced Hibari-sama's man.

He asked her about her involvement with Basco. She cringed before answering. He would no doubt be less understanding than Hibari-sama had been. He, after all, was not attached to her in any way. He asked her how she came to know about the girl she had mentioned to Hibari-sama and she cringed again.

She hadn't been sure what she had said to Hibari-sama about this point or whether she had mentioned it all and the recounting was something she would really rather not do – especially not when the truth was so damning. She really hadn't had any business snooping around but now that she had and lives were at stake, there was no way she couldn't reply. She looked down at her fingers as she answered the question telling Kusakabe-san about Julietta and the brothel owner and everything else she had heard.

He asked her again about her involvement with Basco and she paused before she replied with the same answer. She couldn't explain why she was so afraid this time. Maybe because she was confirming what Hibari-sama may have doubted? Hibari-sama's questions hadn't been so difficult either. He hadn't questioned her as thoroughly as she had expected come to think of it. She had to wonder why that was so…

She answered several more questions about her background, Ling-Mei's name and background, or at least what she knew of it, and where they might be able to find Basco. She felt rather guilty betraying the pack like this but she knew it was for the greater good. They may not have been able to survive much longer if Basco was allowed to continue his tyrannical ways. Many more of them who displeased him would have ended up buried in the fields if he was. There was no other option. She gave a clear description of where the pack members usually went, where they stayed and where they slept. She was wringing her fingers now.

After the questioning, Haru was sent out again and back to her duties. Hibari-sama's voice had hardly been warm and friendly. Was he angry at her now? She didn't know what to make of it but dutifully went back to work. The more she worked, the easier it became to forget. Maybe she would be sent away after all. It would be a kindness, she supposed. Being involved with Basco meant she was also a criminal, didn't it?

Feeling forlorn and desperate, she made her way to the kitchens to see if Akira-san needed help with anything else.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"We could use her on the investigation. Given the fact that she is involved with these ruffians, it would be easy to set a trap and catch them if she was there."

"No."

"Sir?"

"Mari-san is not going anywhere near that little bastard. If what she says is true, this mission is too dangerous. We will handle it ourselves."

"What shall we do about the docks?"

Hibari shut his eyes and thought about that for a moment. Kusakabe had come to him that morning with the news that their mole had met with an unfortunate accident on the docks and died. His body had been found floating near a ship that morning and Kusakabe had been there personally to see to it that he was taken care of.

Neither man bought the "accident" story for a second.

It was a clear message to Hibari to mind his own business. Well, he would have to retaliate as soon as he could. Haru had given him the information he needed and confirmed it to Kusakabe.

"We shall do nothing for now. Have someone sent to the brothel. Find out what you can from Julietta and if you can, keep her safe. She seems to be important to Mari-san. Buy her freedom if you have to but make sure you find out all you can from her."

"Right away, Kyo-san. I also received word from the Kokuyo Heir and Tsuna-sama. They said they would be glad to help us any way they can. Ryohei-sama is still out of the country and the Varia has ignored all requests we've made."

Hibari sighed. He had expected that from Xanxus. It was no secret that they hated each others' guts. This matter involved him too and he would make sure the Varia leader got that into his thick skull.

"I will handle the Varia. Get everything ready. Make sure our man's family is well-compensated. He served me well."

Kusakabe gave Hibari a low bow and made his way out of the office. Given Haru's involvement with the case, he had to wonder if she had been involved from the beginning. He pushed that thought aside. She wouldn't have been. Nothing in her nature suggested she could know about murder, have a hand in committing it and then act like nothing had happened. It just wasn't in her nature.

Being an unsuspecting victim and finding out what she had it had probably taken a great deal of courage to bring up the subject at all. Maybe she expected to be punished for her involvement in the case? He would have to ascertain that she really didn't know before he passed judgement on that. He was a fair man after all. He knew he wouldn't have to punish her. His Haru could never be involved.

He was pleased to have found out her name at last, but he didn't feel the need to share that information with anyone else. He liked having something between them that was their very own. He frowned again his thoughts turning immediately to his father's invitation the next day to see this girl. The party was in a few more days but his father wanted him to arrive a bit earlier to go and see her. He knew he was dragging his feet but he really had no inclination to meet any girls. He didn't want anyone… no one, that is, besides Haru.

The realisation was a little startling. He barely knew her and by all rational thinking, he shouldn't be thinking about such a big commitment anyway. It just wasn't how things were done. There was hardly any rationality involved where she was concerned though. She didn't fit precisely into any mould he had tried to put her in. She was a bit of an anomaly and a great big breath of fresh air.

The simple fact that she had stayed on this long as his maid proved it. She had no choice of course, but she held her own against him and that was worth something.

Hibari made up his mind. He would go to this meeting. He would meet this girl that his father had chosen, but would only do so out of courtesy. Then he would set his father straight. When the case was solved, finally, he would then set about trying to get Haru to accept him. She would have to, he thought with a rather arrogant grin. He simply wouldn't give her any choice in the matter.


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey everyone! Here's a brand new chappie for all of you. I suppose it is a filler chapter but I have a plan and this chapter does have its place in the story so it's only a partial filler chapter. I did as my muse directed and I really hope you like it. Let me know what you think? Many, many thanks for your continued support.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

The trip had come as a bit of a surprise. It was the first thing Hibari-sama had announced when she walked into the room. He did look a bit grim as he did so prompting her to think that perhaps it wasn't to be a leisure trip after all. Maybe it had something to do with the investigation? Whatever the case was, she couldn't help but be curious. Still, she chose not to pry. The investigation was out of her hands after all and after she had told her part of the story, probably none of her business.

She had just finished folding one of Hibari-sama's shirts into a travelling case when two strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"Hahi!"

She gasped and turned to find Hibari-sama right behind her. She clutched the shirt she had taken from the pile between them as a shield although she knew it would offer no resistance. She had been moving around him silently getting things together. She hadn't wanted to speak in case he was really in a sour mood and their last conversation turn into an argument.

She looked down at the shirt in her hands only now noticing that he was shirtless once again. Her hands were pressed against his bare chest and she flushed. She turned her gaze back up to his face. The corners of his mouth lifted into a small smile as his other hand held her to him by the waist. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Haru shut her eyes when she felt his lips against her forehead. He was going to kiss her again, wasn't he? She shouldn't hold out to some of those foolish hopes, she knew, but she really wouldn't mind if he did. I fact, she really wanted him to.

"Open your eyes, Haru."

She panicked slightly remembering that she had actually told him her name. She had hoped that he had forgotten that little fact and had managed to convince herself of that. She had expected that he would continue to call her Mari-san. She had to admit that she didn't really mean any of that. She wouldn't like him to call her by any other name. Besides, her name did sound good coming from his lips. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again.

He needed her to understand before he left. He wouldn't take the chance that she would misunderstand and come to her own warped conclusions. He knew how quickly the truth could be twisted. He would not have her doubting him. He had to make her understand him. He had to be direct in his telling too or she would never really get it.

His hand settled on her reddening cheek as he spoke again.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. She blinked at the question. She knew the answer right away. She slowly nodded. He peered into her face inquisitively.

"Y…yes Hibari-sama. I… I trust you." God help her but she truly did. She hadn't fully trusted another human being in a long while but for some inexplicable reason, he had somehow won hers. At the back of her mind was the niggling feeling that he was going to betray her now that she had failed to guard her heart but she quelled that thought the moment it popped up.

"Then I want Haru to believe everything I say now."

She nodded again and he leaned forward to murmur in her ear. She shivered as she heard his low voice right nest to her. It was thoroughly pleasant and she stifled a sigh. Then his words caught up with her addled brain.

"I only want Haru."

She panicked properly then. That was a confession, right? He had just confessed! She was sure of it. Had he confessed? Was that what that meant? Or had he meant it the… other way? She had no idea what to make of that statement. He noticed her worry and pressed his lips to hers ever so gently.

The kiss was over practically before it began but she did feel a little less panicked. He leaned his forehead against hers. She stood very still. He had never really been like this before. They had kissed many times and he had hugged her many more times too but all this was still foreign to her. He wanted her? _Only _her? Did that mean there was someone else she should be wary of?

Seeing the distress in her eyes, he chuckled. The deep rumbling sound sent more shivers scurrying through her body.

"When I come back, I will make you understand," he said. She was in a bit of a daze and barely nodded before his lips captured hers once more. She bumped back against a surface she only barely registered was the dresser at which she had been getting his clothes ready for his trip. He slanted his lips against hers and continued his assault on her senses.

The shirt she still clutched in her hands slipped from her hold to fall somewhere on the floor. She couldn't hold a straight thought in her head. He was overwhelming her and she was letting him. She couldn't have pulled away from him if she tried. He was making her feel things, funny delicious things all over.

His hands settled on her waist and then the ground disappeared from beneath her. She realized she was now sitting on the dresser but barely had time to notice anything else. He stood between her legs never breaking the kiss. She dug her fingers into his shoulder as he moved away from her lips to press a kiss against her throat. She bit her lip to keep from making a sound. She gasped when he bit her neck and he smirked against her skin.

A knock on the door brought Haru plummeting back to reality. She flushed an impossibly deeper shade of red and looked into his eyes. He smiled with satisfaction when he noted that she still looked rather dazed. She had reacted to him in much the same way he seemed to react to her.

The knock persisted and he slowly helped her to the ground. He didn't really want to let go of her just yet but he had to control himself. She was not ready for anything more than a few stolen kisses. She needed to get used to the idea that he would have no other. She steadied herself on his arm. He smirked and sent her to the bathroom to get composed while he answered the door.

Haru wouldn't wait to be told twice but when she was pulled back, she barely gave any resistance.

"Don't forget, only Haru."

He gave her one last hard kiss and then headed for the bathroom. She fairly raced to it and carefully shut the door. She couldn't help her smile. She was mortified that she had let things go so far. She had never been put in such a position before. She had been behaving like a very loose woman. What on earth would the nuns say if they knew? Her smile grew wider to imagine it.

She pressed her hands to her cheeks and walked over to the mirror. She looked as if she had been thoroughly kissed. Of course she wouldn't leave the room just yet. She needed time to compose herself.

Hibari-sama's words went through her mind over and over and she found herself silently squealing with joy. She couldn't help it. It was all so new and so wonderful…

Of course there was still the treacherous thought that he would eventually betray her and she would suffer for all her foolishness. That thought brought her smile down by a degree. She wouldn't let it take hold. He had said he only wanted her. What she knew of him so far suggested that he was true to his word. Akira-san had vouched for him herself.

He had asked her if she trusted him. She knew she did. She meant every word and she would prove it now by not worrying about her decisions. For as long as she could remember, she had wondered what it was like to be in love. She smiled at her reflection as she thought about it again now. Perhaps this feeling was it? She couldn't imagine it feeling any more complete or more fulfilling…

She was being fanciful again. She arranged her hair again and then noticed the little bruise at the base of her neck. A bruise! How on earth was she going to explain that? Maybe if she lifted her collar a little more…

She flushed noticing only then that the top buttons of her dress were open. She had barely noticed that. She drew the material together and did up the buttons again. The bruise was properly hidden. Satisfied it would not be seen and that her appearance would not be suspicious in any way, she stepped out of the bathroom just as Hibari-sama shut the door.

He gave her such a heated look that she very nearly melted where she stood. She gave him a little curtsy then rushed over to the dresser to continue her work. Hibari smiled. She had visibly jumped when their eyes had met. She was flustered and he was inordinately pleased with that reaction. He turned and went into the bathroom to get ready.

Haru breathed a sigh of relief when he left the room but did her job in record time. She didn't want to take the chance of being in the same room with him again. Not so soon anyway. She realized that she had been given a way out and she wasn't going to take that for granted.


	37. Chapter 37

**Hi everyone! If you can't already tell, I'm really stoked about this update. I hope you like it as much as I did. In this very clever chapter, I have made proper use of the previous chapter and ***_**drum roll**_*** I have introduced the girl Hibari was supposed to meet. I wonder if you're sufficiently surprised... Please let me know in your reviews? Many, many thanks to all of you who give me the psyche to keep on writing. Till the next chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own KHR nor do I claim any rights to it or any of the characters and/or locations in this fan fiction story that you may recognise from the anime/manga. I am only responsible for the plot and nothing else.**

"_Don't forget, only Haru_."

Haru shook her head to try and forget the memory. Ironically, she had been asked not to forget and now she wanted to do just that and get on with her days. Hibari-sama had left. They had spent no more time together which she was thankful and sorrowful about. He had made her feel all sorts of strange things and she had to wonder to herself if this was truly like the relationship she dreamed about since she was a little girl.

Of course, she was still a maid. He was still her master. There was nothing different about that – not exactly.

Akira-san had agreed to keep the news of Haru leaving to herself. In exchange, Haru had to do some extra work every day until Hibari-sama came back. She didn't mind. Akira-san, for all her stern glares and strict rules was like a mother to all the staff. She took them all to task and nagged and pushed but they all knew it came from a good place. That Haru kept getting in trouble was just in her nature. Even the nuns at the convent had taken to crossing themselves in her presence when they thought she wasn't looking.

He would be back in a few days and she wondered what he had meant by, in his words, "making her understand". She was curious about that statement. He wanted to make her understand that he only wanted her. She was giddy with glee already and she was sure she sported a blush on her face for most of the day.

She picked up her laundry basket and made her way to the laundry room to fold and iron the clothes she had. She was just approaching a corner when she heard her name being mentioned.

"Mari-san is so lucky, nee? She has to attend to Hibari-sama every day and she's special friends with Takeshi-sama too… I wish one of them would notice me."

"She's a maid just like any of us, you know. And why would you want Hibari-sama to notice you? How many maids has he had before?"

"Many I guess. He is still very handsome and looks like he would be very demanding... but that's not so bad nee?"

"I suppose not, if you like that kind of thing. I have wondered about the special treatment Mari-san gets though… do you think maybe she… does things for them?"

"Don't be silly. Of course she doesn't get special treatment. Have you seen how many punishments she's gotten just this week?" The maids laughed. Haru stayed very silent. She knew she wasn't meant to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help it.

"Speaking of Hibari-sama, I heard a rumour about where he's really going," the first one said.

"Another rumour? You really need to get more relevant sources."

"I heard this one myself and from a very trusted source. Tsuyoshi-sama left a few days ago, you remember?"

"The whole house knows that. He went away for business."

"Yes, personal business. He went to find Hibari-sama a bride."

"EH!?" The first maid clamped a soapy hand over the mouth of the second one then immediately regretted the action and chuckled even as she admonished her friend.

"Keep it down, do you want to tell the whole house?"

"A bride? Does that mean we'll be getting a new mistress soon?"

"I don't know. Hibari-sama is very particular, but he always does what his father says. Even when he says no, he finds a way to accommodate him. Since Takeshi-sama is already engaged to the Kokuyo heiress, it is only fair that Hibari-sama marries into a similar class or higher, you know?"

"True, even if something is happening with Hibari-sama and Mari-san, nothing will come of it, right? I mean..."

Haru didn't wait to hear any more. Squaring her shoulders and putting a smile on her face, she turned the corner and walked past the two maids. They smiled in greeting and remained silent while she passed, not knowing she'd heard the entire exchange. She was good at schooling her features... mostly. Hibari-sama seemed to be the only one she couldn't hide things from.

With a purposeful stride, she made her way into the laundry room and shut the door. Thankfully she was alone. She dropped the basket in her hands and leaned her forehead against the door.

So that was the plan. He was going to find himself a wife. Why had he mentioned that he only wanted her? Did he mean he was going to defy his father or did he mean he would never love his wife and only wanted her as a... as a mistress?

The word left a sour taste in her mouth. He wasn't going to get her as a mistress. She had vowed long ago that the only man she would give her heart properly to would be her husband. If he did want her, she was going to be his wife or not at all. Of course she was a maid and there was very little chance of that happening at all. She knew that as well as she knew her own name. Society would reject her for her background. It was how their world worked. Their relationship had been doomed from the start. Hibari-sama probably knew it too.

If that was the case, if all of this had been truly one big joke or a pleasant pastime, then she could simply thank him for everything and leave. She would just finish serving her sentence and that would be the end of that. He couldn't possibly think to keep her and she certainly wouldn't let him if he tried.

Surely there was no shortage of maids in town. If she happened to get a glowing recommendation from Akira-san, she could easily find employment elsewhere. She would be nobody's second choice. That was where she absolutely drew the line.

The nerve of the man! If he was going to get himself a wife, he shouldn't have led her on. How greedy could one man get? Of all the...

"_Do you trust me?_"

The memory interrupted her angry thoughts. He had looked completely sincere when he had asked her that. He wasn't very expressive but she had started learning a few things about him and knew most of his expressions and this was one of them.

"_I only want Haru_."

What did that mean? If she truly trusted him, she wouldn't believe these rumours, would she? She shouldn't... but what was she supposed to believe? He hadn't told her where he was going; only that he would come back and make her understand. He hadn't said much besides that and he had kissed her senseless yet again. She refused to believe he would be so callous. Hibari-sama was a lot of things but callous was definitely not one of them.

She fisted her hands and took a few deep, calming breaths. She needed to get a hold of herself before her feelings ran away with her. She had decided to trust him no matter what so she shouldn't be second-guessing herself now. Some of her anger dissipated and she even managed a smile over how silly she was being... at least she hoped she was being silly.

She picked up the first linen from her pile and, setting aside all other unpleasant thoughts, she went back to work.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"Excuse me Miss, your intended has come. Your cousin has sent me to fetch you. The gentlemen await you in the study."

"Thank you," said the young woman sitting at her vanity. She had sat there to wait for Hibari to arrive from the moment she got ready that morning. There were a million things racing through her mind. She knew it was a good match and many would approve. It was her duty to the family and she knew it.

It didn't make her happy though. She had learned a little about her intended over the days since the announcement. It was just an initial meeting and nothing was set in stone but everyone seemed to think they would be perfect for each other. A fleeting look of worry crossed her features as she smoothed out the skirt of her dress and then rose from her seat.

"Please ask the maids to get the tea ready and ask the butler to see to it that we are not disturbed."

"It shall be seen to Miss. Will that be all?"

"Yes it shall." She straightened her shoulders and walked calmly out the door. This was what was expected of her. Anything else would be disgraceful to the family and she knew as well as anyone else did that appearances were everything. Her family had worked hard to get where they were and she would not be the cause of their shame. Her feelings in this arrangement didn't matter. As head of the family, her cousin had been the one to suggest they meet and it wasn't a very terrible idea. She would probably make a good match with Hibari-sama.

She knew he was practical. He was fair and he was stoic. He was also strong and she had been told he was nice to look at – whatever that meant. Moreover, he was the head of security in his town government. She couldn't really ask for a better match. It was practical and it was sound. They would learn to get along with each other. If not, she would make certain they did. That was just how things had to be.

She knocked twice on the door to the study, took a deep breath and stepped inside. Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside the study as her features relaxed into as warm a smile as she could manage. All four gentlemen in the study stood.

She spotted him right away.

She had expected him to be a little shorter. She hadn't counted on him being very handsome either. That was beside the point entirely, of course. She would have had to marry him even if he looked like the underside of a well-used shoe. She hadn't expected the colour of his eyes either. He didn't smile back but gave her a very proper formal bow as her cousin introduced them.

"Hibari-san, please let me introduce to you my cousin, Suzuki Adelheid."


End file.
